Redline
by SunStreak
Summary: *Chpt 7 up!* My first AU. In the underground world of racing, Naraku hold's the lives of many in his hands and will use people to his advantage to get what ever he wants, including his best mechanic, Kagome. *DARK* IxK SxM Rated for mature situations.
1. Chapter 1

-1**Chapter 1**: Strangers and engines.

It was a beautiful day in Tokyo city. The streets were bustling with the sounds of traffic and the occasional street vender selling their goods. The airport was no different. Flights were being announced left and right, departures, arrivals and delays. People were coming and going and hugging family members they were greeting at the airport and crying over the people they were seeing off.

A quaint little bar and restaurant sat in the middle of all of this commotion. It was pretty popular for having the lowest prices in the whole airport. It was easy to get a quick meal at a decent price and slug down a quick shot of sake for the nervous traveler. At the end of the bar, a black haired woman sat and sipped at her coffee while scanning over a paper in her hands.

"Still looking for that perfect car, Kagome?" The young waitress and bartender said as she rinsed out a freshly used collins glass.

The woman, Kagome, looked up and laughed. "Sango, I've got the perfect car, I'm just wondering if anyone's selling parts for it."

Sango scowled slightly and huffed. "You know your boss is never going to sell you that car. He has far too much to hold over your head that you're in way too deep with him."

"I know. But I have nothing left but my dreams. He says that one day I'll get that Daytona, if I 'work' hard enough for it that is. I'm hoping that I've started to make a dent in what I owe him, after all I've been putting in so many hours at the shop, it's making me sick. I'm up to 62 this week. Thank god tomorrow's Friday." Kagome sighed and stretched out her arms over her head. Through her amazing beauty, frustration and fatigue shined through her chocolate brown eyes. She glanced at her wrist watch and sighed again. "I still have an hour before I have to leave. I think I'll have another donut."

"Sure thing, Kagome." Sango said and handed her a chocolate glazed donut and refilled her mug with coffee.

A man sitting three stools down from where the ladies were talking couldn't help but over hear their conversation. He was an interesting looking fellow, he had long silvery blonde hair that was hanging down to the middle of his back and his eyes shone like the sun. He leaned in a little and pushed some money in Kagome's direction. "Let me pick up the young ladies tab." he said in a kind manner.

Kagome only scoffed at his money. "Thanks." She said and glanced at the man before her. She figured he couldn't be much older than her, maybe mid twenties, but the color of his hair struck her. It wasn't often a young man like himself had the silvery hair of an elderly man. She couldn't resist asking "so is that you're natural hair color?".

"Kagome! That's rude. He offers to pay for your meal and you inquire about his 'natural' hair color?" Sango scolded.

"It's quite all right. Yeah, it's real. I kinda inherited it from my father. My half brother has the same hair color too. So are you here alone?" The young man asked.

"Hmm, I'm here with my friend while she works. I'm her ride. I don't need to be 'picked up' if that's what your intentions are." she stated rather rudely.

"You'll have to excuse my friend here, she's worked too hard with way too many men, including my husband and lacks social graces as a result. Plus she's forgotten her medication, haven't you Kagome?" At the mention of her name in front of this total stranger, Kagome gave Sango a glare that could have killed.

"Yeah, sorry I haven't taken my midol yet today. I guess hanging out in a pit with your perverted husband under me most of the day has dampened my lady-like charm" Kagome huffed.

"Hmmm, Kagome is it? What a beautiful name. I'm Inuyasha." With that, the young man extended his right hand.

Kagome took it and bowed. "I guess it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry for being so rude, but it's been such a long and hard week." Kagome said in a softer tone.

"When isn't it a hard week?" Sango asked.

"So I heard you talking about a 'Daytona'? You into cars, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

Sango roared with laughter. "She eats, breaths and sleeps cars. If she's not working on one at her job, she working on one at the shop. Although it's a lost cause because she spends all her energy and money on a car she'll never own."

"Stop it. She'll be mine one day." Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, looking hurt.

"So tell me more about this 'Daytona'. I'm a bit of a collector myself, but I haven't really delved into the MOPARs". Inuyasha said.

"Ahh, let me guess, GM boy, right? You say you're a collector? Let me guess, classic GTO's and you look like you probably own a 67 or 68 Camero." Kagome smiled, by the look on Inuyasha's face, she had hit the nail on the head.

"Yup, both 68's." Inuyasha said. "So you really know your cars and car people, huh?"

"Yeah. The car I'm pining after is a 1969 Charger Daytona. It's the car of my dreams. Turns out my boss had one come in as a trade for some repairs I did on a customer's Hemi 'Cuda. He was going to trash it because it was in rough shape, but I talked him into keeping it and letting me work on it. He says I'll get it one day, but after all my debt is paid off to him." Kagome sadly stated. "You should see her. She's one of 503 original Daytona's with the 440 magnum engine block. She still has her original blue paint with the black bumble stripes. It's just the interior needs work and the frame is shot along with the suspension and that poor engine needs a lot of tender loving care, but that good ol' B body is still in pretty good shape and even has it's original 23 inch wing. I have replaced the floor plans, transmission and most of the interior. I'm adding the windows next month once I have the money and I can forget about replacing the brake and electrical system this year." Kagome explained with a defeated look in her eyes.

"Sounds like you've got one hell of a project car. But on of 503, that's a rare find!" Inuyasha stated.

"Yup only 503 came with either the 440 magnum or a 426 Hemi. The Hemis where more popular because at that time they were still new and shiny. " Kagome explained.

"You know, I have a wing car too. She's a 1970 Plymoth Superbird. Sandstone red. It's not as special as your Daytona, but she's all I inherited from my father's passing. My half brother has a matching blue one that was handed down to him after our father's death. He's been trying to talk me out of my car for years." Inuyasha explained. Inuyasha paused and had a thoughtful look on his face for a moment. "You say you're in debt with your boss? How bad could it be?" he inquired.

"You would have no idea and I wouldn't know where to begin." Kagome sighed. She took a sip from her mug and glanced at her watch as she did so. A scowl came over her face as she studied the time. "Damn. Looks like I've got to get going. If I'm not twenty minutes early, I'm late. Well, it was a pleasure meeting and talking with you, Inuyasha. Maybe we'll meet again." Kagome said as she removed herself from her stool and hurried off after waving goodbye to Sango and called "I'll see ya' later. What time do you want me to tell Miroku to come pick you up?"

"Same, five as always! Have a good day at work!" Sango called back at her friend's retreating form.

"You know, it's not every day I meet a woman who knows more about cars than I do." Inuyasha said to Sango.

"Yeah, she was raised around them. So are you here visiting, or are you off to some where exciting?" Sango asked.

"Actually, I just got back from a trip to America. Had some business to take care of there. So you're friend, Kagome, you known her long?" Inuyasha asked, not willing to change the subject off the strange and interesting young woman he had just met.

"Yeah, you could say that. Let's just say we all have a long history together. After my younger brother was in a bad car wreck, she went to her boss and got the money to take care of his doctor bills and rehab expenses. He's still in pretty bad shape and it will be years before he can live a normal life, but if the funds stop coming in for his physical therapy, he'll never be able to heal and return to his normal life. Miroku and I are in a great deal of debt to Kagome. She's taken on extra hours and then some and has even taken a pay cut so that Kohaku, my brother, can be taken care of. But enough about my problems. What do you do?" Sango quickly attempted another subject change back on the young man, Inuyasha. She saw something in this guy that Kagome had obviously missed and thought maybe he'd do her young friend some good.

"I'm a business man. I'm in pharmaceutical sales. I travel all around the world to sell and pick up new technology and medications. You know America has leading technologies in cancer treatment? It's incredible the leaps and bounds they've made in medical science." Inuyasha explained. "So where does Kagome work? You know, incase I ever need to bring my Superbird in for repairs? I would want someone as knowledgeable and capable as her working on my baby.

Sango laughed at his antics. He was definitely a stubborn one. "She works for Naraku's Miasma Mechanics. They specialize in custom building, restoration and repairs of rare and old vehicles. They even do routine maintenance on today's car's as well. I don't think there is a problem a car can have that they can't fix." Sango stated. "You know, in case your daily driver needs an oil change or a transmission flush." she continued.

"I see. Well thank you for the information. Come to think of it, my Durango is over due for an oil change. I might just happen to be in the area and find some time to drop her off." Inuyasha said with a wink. "Um, where is this place again?"

Sango giggled and pulled out her pad and pen. "Here, let me give you directions. You might want to call first and set up an appointment around two. That's when Kagome is on the quick lube station." Sango said with a wink of her own and jotted down the shop's information.

Inuyasha thanked Sango and left her money for his and Kagome's bill and extra for a rather generous tip and went on his way.

"What an interesting young man. Hope I haven't started anything that will get Kagome in trouble." Sango said quietly to herself as she put Inuyasha's money away in her till.

Inuyasha smiled to himself as he used his cell to call the shop where he discovered his new fascination was employed. He realized he truly was intrigued by the woman, something about her was a bit familiar, but he shrugged that off as he thought of how he would get to know her better.

Sure enough, he had an appointment at 2:15 and wore a smirk when he realized that it was Kagome who took the appointment and hadn't recognized his voice. Even when she took his name, it was obvious that she was struck with familiarity but seemed too busy to reflect on where she heard that name before.

He ran back to his home and cleaned up and called into his office to let his employees know he woudn't be in until later that afternoon and took right off again for his date with destiny. He didn't know what it was about this girl that captured him, but she looked like fun.

This would definitely be an interesting afternoon.

End of Chappy.

(A/N: Ok, so what'd you think of the first chapter? It's my first try at an AU fic, so bare with me. I wanted to incorporate my passion for cars in a fic and I thought I'd give you guys something slightly new. Well review and let me know! And yes, a 1969 Daytona is my dream car. I would love one with a Hemi because I'm a Hemi nut, but those Magnums roar with both low end and top end power. Hmmmmm and a supercharger drool Yes, I'm suicidal! I'm not satisfied 'till it's pushing at least 475hp!)


	2. Chapter 2

-1**Chapter 2: **Keeping an appointment.

Kagome sighed. She wasn't a fan of the quick lube change station. Most customers complained that the lube change took to long even if she got it out in under 15 minutes. Even when she explained that they do a full vehicle inspection before being worked on, they were still usually ungrateful and left in a huff. But it was nice when a customer was happy and even tipped her.

It was almost two o' clock and she knew 2:15 would be in soon. She waited at the computer with his appointment screen up. It showed his name, vehicle make and model and vehicle year. That was all the information she needed to know how much oil she'd need and what size filter it would call for.

She glanced back up at the clock and as she read 2:10, the bells on the door jingled announcing the arrival of her 2:15 appointment. Her eyes traced back down to the door and her jaw dropped when she saw it was the hansom young man she had met earlier that morning. She smiled slightly at the familiar face.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were staking me." Kagome said slyly with a smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you got yourself employed here knowing this was where I would get my oil changes from now on. Seeing how I've heard this is the best place in all of Japan to go for car service. So that would mean, you're stalking me." Inuyasha replied with a laugh.

"And if you actually think that, then you think too highly of yourself." Kagome smiled devilishly at the silver haired man.

Inuyasha scrunched his face and laughed. "No, my dodge is over due for an oil change. I happened to mention it to Sango and she referred me to this shop. I'm glad that I've run into you again, must be fate."

"Or Sango's meddling. I should have recognized your voice. Plus the way you talked about American cars. We actually don't see a whole lot of new American imports here. Mostly classics, even then they're hardly driven." Kagome said glancing over his information. "If you wait here, I need the keys so I can go get some information and get you on your way." Kagome stated professionally with her hand outstretched for his keys.

Inuyasha fished the keys out of his pocket and dropped them in the palm of her hand. "I'm in no hurry, so take your time." He smile a hansom, cocky smile.

Kagome grabbed a paper floor mat and a rear window tag with a number and a keychain tag with the same number attached to it. Kagome wrote down the truck's vin number and mileage, hung the tag from the rear view mirror and attached the matching key tag to Inuyasha's keys. She pulled the Durango into her bay and returned to the shop's office.

Inuyasha was leaning up against the counter, watching the little TV that was hung in the corner. She couldn't help but notice that he was hansom. Kagome put the inspection sheet on the counter and cleared her throat which got Inuyasha's attention. "If you could sign here please, it states that you are here today for an oil lube change with filter and that will be 19.99. If anything else comes up, I will come to you to get the ok for any other needed repair."

"Well, I'm liking how professional the place is." Inuyasha said as he signed his name on the inspection sheet and with that Kagome retreated back into the windowed out shop where he could watch her work in her bay on his vehicle.

As Kagome started the oil change from the bottom of the vehicle, she then moved to the top and started her inspection from the top. She removed the air filter from the air filter box and gave it a distasteful look. She held it up for Inuyasha to see and sure enough the cotton air filter was black with debris and dirt. She started filling the engine with fresh oil and timed it to the necessary quart amount. She picked up the air filter and waked into the shop with it. "May I suggest a new air filter. This thing is choking your poor truck." She said as she put the dirty cotton filter on the counter.

Inuyasha inspected it and agreed that it was gross. "Yeah, why don't you set me up with a new one. Hey, do you have any of those new oil filters that I've heard so much about?" He asked.

Kagome looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, they're 49.95. You want me to put it in?" She asked.

"Sure, how much for labor?" Inuyasha asked.

"No labor involved. It's on the house." Kagome said cooly. She knew that the shop didn't charge to replace an air filter, but she still enjoyed making the customer feel 'special'.

"Cool, let's do it. Thank you." Inuyasha said.

Kagome giggled and replied "you're very welcome" and went back to her bay to put in the air filter and finish her full vehicle inspection. The whole process took 15 minutes on the dot. When she was finished, she wrote down the current mileage and the mileage and date he should expect to need another oil change.

Kagome came back in and gave Inuyasha his total. He smiled at her kindly as he took out his wallet and paid. He took an extra twenty out and handed it to Kagome who looked at the bill, confused. "Did you need change?" she asked. He laughed a little and said "no, it's for such polite and fast service. I have to say, Sango was right. This is guaranteed the best place for car service".

Kagome blushed and was so flattered that she though twice about excepting the money. It wasn't until he said "I want you to have it", did she except it. "Well thank you. You know you didn't have to. Tipping your mechanic isn't customary." Kagome said sweetly.

"You know what else I'm not obligated to do, but want to?" Inuyasha asked smoothly.

"What's that?" Kagome smiled, knowing this old pick up line.

"Ask you out to dinner. What do you say, good ol' fashion Mc Donnalds?" He asked with a big grin on his face.

Kagome laughed, not expecting the restaurant of choice. "Sure, it's a date."

"Well, I've gotten you this far, how about a movie first? There's some good ones out." He smiled a cocky smile.

"Why not. Next thing you'll want to do is go drinking and then bed with me, right? And then never call again. That's what most guys want." Kagome said teasingly yet bitterly.

Inuyasha was taken off guard at that comment. He looked at her slightly bug-eyed. "No, I was kinda hoping that after dinner we could cruise around in one of my classic American muscle cars, seeing how I know you like them so much. I've got a special one I'll pick you up in. And if we have fun we can do it another night, that's what I'd like to do."

"Ok, sounds like fun. What time would you like to pick me up?" Kagome asked.

"What time do you get off work?" Inuyasha asked.

"Four-thirty." Kagome replied.

"Ok, make it five-thirty. We'll make a six o' clock showing. Where should I pick you up?" Inuyasha started writing something down on a one of their business cards.

"In front of the shop is fine. My apartment is close by, so it's no walk for me." Kagome said, making it obvious she didn't want Inuyasha knowing exactly where she lived.

"Ok then, see you at five-thirty in front of here. Here, this is my cell number incase you need to call me." Inuyasha handed her the business card and walked away as he waved at her.

Kagome watched him leave and smiled as she inspected the card with his neat hand writing with his name and number written on the back. She sighed in amusement as she reflected on that day's events leading up to that point. It had been years since Kagome went out on a date, and she was convinced she wasn't looking, but she accepted his proposal for a date. At the moment she was feeling like a stupid love struck school girl talking to her first crush. Hell, she even felt like giggling with joy.

"Well he was hansom." Miroku's voice made Kagome jump.

"Where you spying?" Kagome accused.

"No, just merely eavesdropping. You think Sango would approve of him?" Miroku asked in a teasing tone.

"Well, she's the one who told him where I worked after I left the bar today. He had introduced himself to us there before when I was talking about the Daytona. Turns out he like American muscle imports." Kagome said smiling. It wasn't every day she ran into someone who had her taste in cars. Kids these days in Tokyo were all about their high performance tuners.

"Well that's cool. What do you think he'll pick you up in?" Miroku questioned.

"He says he has a '70 Plymoth Superbird. Maybe he'll come in that." Kagome thought of how sweet that ride must look. She loved wing cars. She had to explain to Miroku once that the Charger Daytona and the '70 Superbird were considered 'wing cars' because of the massive 32 inch wing that stretched out beyond the hieght of the roof and they stood out because of the 'bumble stripe' that stretched from the front fender of the car and seemed to stretch up right into the wing which was always the same color of that bumble stripe usually seen in black, red and even white, blue or yellow. Miroku never really took interest, he only listened because he knew how much Kagome loved that money pit Daytona in the back garage.

"Well it's nice that you found someone who'll enjoy yapping about American cars then." Miroku commented. Kagome shot him a dirty look, but laughed because it was true. "Does Naraku know you're going out on a date with a customer?" Miroku asked in all seriousness.

"No, and he wasn't a customer. He was a guy who stalked me and bought business so he could continue to flirt with me otherwise he wouldn't have come here for an oil change. It was obvious that his Durango was just a beater car. You should see the state of his air filter." Kagome corrected. "Besides, it's not like I'm taking off early, just my scheduled time." She finished.

"Sounds like you're going to have fun. Just don't Naraku catch wind of your having 'fun'. You know he's allergic to the stuff." Miroku teased and they both laughed.

The phone then rang and Kagome answered "Miasma Mechanics. We do the job right. How can I…..Oh…yeah, no, no, I understand, it's ok……Tomorrow then? .. Not a problem, is it ok if I don't stay late then? … Yeah, I'll be off at 4:30. alright well, see ya' tomorrow then. Bye." Kagome let out a relieved sigh.

"Speaking of the devil?" Miroku asked.

"Yup. Naraku wants to bring in the Skyline. He wants me to suit her up for some drag races that start up in a couple of weeks." Kagome said in relief. "But at least I have an excuse to leave at my scheduled time without having to try and make

"Sweet. It's been a while since I've seen the Nissan. I heard she's got a new pain job." Miroku said.

"Yeah. Pearl white. Miroku, doesn't that make you nervous? Driving a nice car with a fresh, clean paint job? I think that would be good incentive not to screw up, huh?" Kagome asked.

"Well when you put it that way. No pressure, not at all." Miroku laughed as did Kagome.

"Well, let's get these cars out so I can get out of here at 4:30." Kagome stated.

"Yeah wouldn't want you to miss your hot date now." Miroku teased again.

And the day was spent pretty uneventful, oil changes here and there, but otherwise it was a long, boring wait for the end of Kagome's shift so she could leave and get ready for her 'hot date'.

End of Chappy.

(A/N: Ok, I'm going to leave it there because I know some of you aren't car nuts like I am and don't want to read the drabbles I could just put out there about cars. If you like cars like I do, don't worry, there are more to come for you to imagine up and drool over. Lol. And yeah, characters are a bit out of character, but I wanted to make them see a little more 'real world'. Even the most hot headed of people we meet (like Inuyasha from the TV series) start out nice and mellow at first. So as it goes on, you'll get to know the characters a little more and I hope I've brought out the personalities that you and I love from the TV show.)


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Chapter 3: **Dinner, movies and cruise nights.

Kagome rushed back to her apartment, a small, one bedroom and one bath and quickly stripped herself from her coveralls. She showered up in anticipation of her first real date in god knows how long. After drying her hair, she took some time to play with it. She growled in frustration with the fact that she couldn't put it up in a way she liked.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Kagome called.

"Kagome, it's me, Sango! Miroku told me you had a date with that cute Inuyasha guy! Let me in!" Sango squeaked from the other side of the door.

"Come on in Sango. You're just in time" Kagome sighed.

Sango waltzed right in and smiled brightly at her. Sango walked back to Kagome's room and found her sitting back at her table top mirror and was still wrapped in a towel. "I figured you hadn't found anything to wear." Sango said with a huge smile. She reached out and in her hand hung a pretty blue gift bag. "I found this for you. I knew it'd fit you." She insisted and pushed the bag at Kagome who looked curiously at the offered gift.

"Well, thank you, but you really didn't have to." Kagome paused when she looked in the bag and gasped in surprise. "It's beautiful!!! It's the dress I saw when we went window shopping? But Sango, how?" Kagome starred teary-eyed at her friend.

"Meh, let's just say I had some decent tips today." Sango said with a shrug.

Kagome pulled out the long flowing black v-neck dress with slender straps that would show off her shoulders and collarbone. It was decorated in pink cherry blossoms flowing in a endless stream starting from her right shoulder and twist and turned across her abdomen and to the bottom of the left side of the gown. It was just stunning. Sango knew Kagome going on a real date was something special and wanted to do something nice for the friend she considered a sister for so many years.

Kagome slipped into the dress and must have twirled around in front of the bathroom mirror at least twenty times. She couldn't believe how great the dress clung to her body. It showed off her curves, but was loose enough to be not too revealing. Kagome left the bathroom and did a few twirls for Sango who smiled and clapped happily for her dear friend.

"You look wonderful! Now we need to do you're hair, so sit back down here." Sango instructed.

"I love it so much. Thank you Sango, I swear I'll pay you back somehow." Kagome cried with happy tears as she did as Sango had told her and sat back down, facing her mirror.

"You've done plenty. I will forever be in your debt. I don't know how we could ever repay you." Sango said sadly as she gathered up Kagome's hair and started brushing the wild mane of ebony locks and started pinning them up to the side of her head and twisting the majority into a beautiful, slightly loose bun on the back of her head. She let the longer strands cascade from the bottom of the bun.

"Nonsense. Had Naraku asked the same of you, you'd be right in my shoes and you know it. We all love Kohaku and want to see him back to his old self and out of this four year slump.

Sango smiled warmly yet sadly at Kagome as she dug into her purse "I have a hair comb that will go perfectly with this dress. It was my mothers, so don't lose it, ok?" Sango said softly as finished decorating the top of Kagome's bun with the golden hair comb with pink cherry blossoms cascading across the top. It really did match the dress, like the two were made for each other.

"Sango! I look wonderful. Thank you. I can't wait for Inuyasha to pick me up, he's in for a real surprise." Kagome cried cheerfully.

"Kagome, I think Inuyasha is going to die when he sees you. What time is he picking you up?" Sango asked.

"At five-thirty, in front of the shop. What time is it now?" Kagome asked as she inspected herself yet again in the mirror.

"Kagome! It's five-fifteen! You better get over there. Here's your dress purse and where'd you put those pumps?" Sango said as she went through Kagome's closet.

"We're going out for a movie and Mc. Donalds and then we're going for a cruise. No heals, but let's do open toes." Kagome said as she put the contents she'd need, like her wallet, from her regular bag into her little black dress purse.

"Here we go. These are nice, all the style of a high heal without the heals. Yes?" Sango asked as she held the black strap shoes out to Kagome.

"Perfect! Ok, I'm off!" Kagome called as she grabbed the shoes and threw them on. She hurried outside and decided to jump on her scooter and boogie over to the shop. It only took about three minutes for her little purple ten horse scooter to zip her to the shop where she dropped it off in the back and chained it to the bike rack. It was getting dark, so she wasn't too worried about someone stealing it.

She walked briskly to the front where she was relieved to see that Inuyasha hadn't arrived yet. She regained her composure and checked her hair in the mirror of her compact and satisfied with her appearance, placed the compact back in her purse and stood expectantly.

About five minutes later a set of large round headlights turned into the parking lot of the shop. She smiled as she instantly recognized the headlights belonging to a classic American muscle car. She knew this had to be him.

As the car pulled around into full view, Kagome's jaw dropped and nearly started laughing. It was a large B body custom 1970 Challenger convertible in the rare year one Panther Pink found only on the gen 2 chargers and challengers and other MOPARs from that year alone. She couldn't help but laugh a little when Inuyasha dropped the black vinyl top and hoped out. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful the black leather interior stood out against the bright pink exterior.

"So what do you think? It's the only Hemi I have. I thought you'd like her" Inuyasha said as he leaned over the side of the car and studied Kagome. She blushed when she saw his eyes trailing up and down her form and couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. "You know, one might think you picked that outfit out to match the car."

Kagome looked herself up and down and realized that like the car, she had pink accenting her black dress much like the pink car with the black interior, rag top and hood scoop. She flushed with embarrassment. "Should I go change then?" She asked unsure if it was a good thing or bad thing that her date's car matched her outfit.

"Absolutely not. It just means that you should be seen driving her." Inuyasha said as he flipped her the keys.

Kagome caught them and starred at him. "Are you sure? You know these aren't easy finds either. I would feel bad if anything happened to her" she asked.

"I insist. Besides, you know the old saying. Um, 'car picks the driver'? Anyway, I think fate has brought you two together." Inuyasha said with a wink.

Kagome eagerly climbed into the driver's seat and was giddy with how great it felt to feel the engine purr under her feet. It was a 4 to the floor speed shift and Kagome could only guess how much horse power she was pushing. She pressed into the gas slightly and smiled devilishly at Inuyasha at the sound of the car roaring to life. It had been years since Kagome had felt this much power under her and it felt good.

"Buckle up." Kagome said as she stepped into the gas and roared out of the parking lot and onto the road.

Inuyasha paled slightly at Kagome's unexpected driving habits. She hit downtown Tokyo and looked at Inuyasha with a smile and asked "so where are we going first?".

"Movie theater, anyone you want. You pick" Inuyasha smiled as he leaned back, thankful they were at a red light.

Just then an engine flared up next to them. Kagome looked over and instantly recognized the sky blue Porshe Carrera sitting next to her. There were two girls sitting in the little two seater. They were hooting and hollering at Kagome.

"Kagome! That is a hot car! How did you ever get your hands on one of those?" One raven haired girl asked.

"Yuki, it's not mine. Actually, this is my date, Inuyasha. It's his car, but he's letting me try her out." Kagome yelled excitedly.

"You know, it takes a real man to really pimp pink." The other girl called from the passenger seat.

"And I'd be pimpin' her." Inuyasha said smoothly as he leaned back in the leather plush seats.

"Oh Kagome, he's a real keeper!" Said Yuki as she winked at Kagome. Kagome blushed and giggled. "So what are you guys doing?"

"I'm taking Kagome to a movie and then we're going to dine and go cruising." Inuyasha stated proudly.

"Oh, follow us, we'll show you were the action is at." Yuki said again, waving a hand.

"Well, Kagome, sounds like fun. Whatcha' think?" Inuyasha asked.

"Let's do it." Kagome said and when the light turned green the girls were off. Kagome quickly made her way into the lane behind her friends as the sped down the streets of Tokyo and drove to the other side of town.

At the edge of town was an old drive-in theater. Inuyasha hadn't even realized they still existed, he hadn't 'worked' this side of town in years. He was sure this place would have shut down years ago with the exploding crime rate.

Inuyasha handed the money to Kagome to gain access to the still standing drive-in movie and where told what radio station to tune into. They continued to follow the girls in their Porshe towards the front of the parking lot. Just then Inuyasha saw all sorts of rare and cool cars parked around the sit-in restaurant. Kagome smiled happily as she drove around and parked the big pink B body convertible next to her friends in the Porche.

"Kagome! Where did you get that?" Said a tall, dark haired man. "I've never seen a car like that before."

Kagome smiled and stated "Hojo! Hi! This color is one of the rarest to find on one of these cars. It's a 1970 Challenger custom convertible. American Hemi power all the way".

"That's great. We all know how much you loved muscle imports. Glad to see you've given up on the Daytona though." Hojo said.

Kagome cast her eyes down and with a sad voice said "I wish I could afford such a piece of work. I'm never giving up on the Daytona, she WILL be mine, but this ride actually belongs to my date here, Inuyasha. He just wanted to see how I looked driving it". Kagome looked up at her friends and cast Natasha a glance and a smile as she introduced him.

"Howdy, nice to meet you." Inuyasha said as he leaned out of the car and shook Hojo's hand and gave him a slight bow.

"Ah, pleased to meet you. Inuyasha, are you American?" Hojo asked.

"Well, half. My father was American, but I was born and raised here." Inuyasha explained.

"Hey, Kagome, a few of the fellows are meeting up after the movie and going for a mountain drag race. You wanna come? You don't have to race, but it'd be fun following you guys in a caravan up the mountain. We're doing the usual peak, Canyon Run. You can show your date what real racing looks like." Hojo said with a cocky smirk.

It was the way he talked condescendingly about Kagome's 'date' and the way Kagome said Hojo's name that made Inuyasha bristle. He wasn't liking this Hojo guy any more. "Keh, sounds like fun to me." Inuyasha stated as he leaned in and carefully stretched an arm behind Kagome's headrest in a slightly possessive manner. "What do you think? Want to go watch after the game?"

"Sure, I love the Canyon Runs. Have you ever been to one?" Kagome asked.

"I've only seen them on tapes, never seen any in person." Inuyasha replied.

"Ok, We're in." Kagome said.

"Great, enjoy the movie, wait for us outside the main gate and we'll all leave together." Hojo said.

It turned out it was a classic movie night and what better movie to show than 'Grease'. Of course everyone knew the lyrics and sang along with the movie. Kagome was getting bombarded by friends who spotted her in the car and they had to come over and comment how beautifully she matched the car. Every one assumed it was planed because of how perfect Kagome and the Challenger went together. Inuyasha spent more time watching her than the movie.

Half way through it Inuyasha brought Kagome into the restaurant to buy her some dinner seeing how they would be doing their cruising right after the movie was over. They ordered a couple of burgers, fries and cokes. They sat at a table outside and continued to watch the movie, well, Kagome watched. Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful date.

"You know how good you look?" Inuyasha suddenly asked as he started to sip at his soda.

"Really? You like it? Sango picked it up for me." Kagome said with a blush.

"Yeah, you're amazing. So what's the story with that Hojo guy?" Inuyasha asked motioning towards the boy who was currently flirting with a Toyota convertible occupied by three single girls. Hojo caught Inuyasha looking his way and nodded at him the international guy's way of saying 'what up'. Inuyasha nodded back as if he cared and then looked back at Kagome.

"Oh, he's an old high school fling. We dated for a few months but broke up after prom and before graduation. Well, he dumped me." Kagome said.

"Well loss, eh?" Inuyasha said as he picked up his plastic soda cup and clanked it salute style against Kagome's own. "Here's to our date. It's going so well" Inuyasha said with a smile.

Kagome picked up her cup as well and saluted Inuyasha's glass. "Here's to us and hopefully more dates just as fun" she said with a smile and a blush. She hadn't enjoyed a guys company this much in a long time. There wasn't the awkwardness she had with Hojo because they were former lovers and there wasn't the professional familiarity you have when you go drinking with a coworker. She was genuinely enjoying herself and was loving the fact that she was comfortable acting like herself with this new guy.

"I'm glad you're having fun. And the night's not even over." Inuyasha said.

The movie ended with everyone cheering and laughing. Everyone was having a good time and getting ready for even more fun.

As instructed, they left the lot and joined up with Hojo and the other groups of people in their tuners and even a few American muscle imports. They were chatting and in the front of the group, closest to the road was a dark blue Toyota Celica GT that was obviously customized and next to it was a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. They looked like they could match each other in power, torque and weight. Inuyasha was slightly impressed.

"So are those the two that will be doing the Canyon Run?" Kagome asked Hojo, pointing to the two tuners sitting up front.

"Yup and guess what?" Hojo replied.

"What?" Kagome inquired.

"The Spyder's mine." Hojo gleamed with pride.

"You're racing?" Kagome asked with concern.

"Yup. I've put in about ten grand and she's ready to go!" Hojo annoynced with joy.

"But you've never ran this before. Are you sure you can handle it?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"I'm sure she'll handle it fine." Hojo stated with finality. "Let's get rolling."

"Ok, I'll follow you guys." Kagome said as she hopped in the drivers seat with Inuyasha next to her.

"Let's Move Out!" Hojo said with a whistle signaling the group that they were ready to go.

The Toyota and the Spyder roared to life and took off with a line of people following the two in two rows , side by side. Kagome right behind Hojo in his spyder and her friends in the Porche behind the Toyota.

The group wound cautiously up the windy mountain roads, the sounds of tuner and American muscle engines singing their choir of horse power all the way. When they got to the look out parking lot, they all circled around until the Toyota and the Celica came back to the entrance, facing the exit down the mountain. Everyone parked in designated spots at the scenic parking lot and got out . People lined the rails at the scenic outlook that oversaw the winding road down the mountain. Inuyasha was excited that he was about to see his first mountain run. He was informed that there would be a group of kids at the bottom of the mountain, at the finish line, with their high tech video/camera phones to capture the finish line.

"Good luck Hojo, and drive safe, ok? Make sure you use you're gears, they'll come in handy." Kagome said as Hojo prepared to race the Celica.

A young man stood in front of the cars and started barking out orders "ok, no bumping, threatening or swerving. It's all about the capability of the driver more than it's about the stats of the car. Remember, this is dangerous and people have died, so please drive safe and have a good clean race!". He took a few steps back and the cars lined up evenly on either side of the tall, dark male getting ready to signal the start of the race. "Are we ready?" with that the two cars revved up, signaling that they were ready to start. "Ok, get set….GO!!!" with that the announcer dropped his hands after quickly raising them. The Celica and Spyder sped off down the mountain.

At first it looked to be neck in neck, but around each turn they took turns taking the lead. They started off driving carefully and even more cautiously but with each twist and turn they got a bit bolder and a bit faster. Kagome watched their headlights and taillights as they wound their way down. She could hear them shifting up and down and turning at faster and faster speeds. As they entered the dead turns, she held her breath, listening for the sounds of downshifting. Her heart stopped as she recognized the RPM's the engines were at as the sharply turned around some of the hairpin turns. They were starting to be braver and less cautious.

Inuyasha had the same intensity on his face as he watched the racers. It was heart stopping watching them squeal and break around each dangerous turn.

It was the last dead man's hairpin corner when all that could go wrong did. The two tuners braked hard as they turned fiercely but the distinct sound of a tire blowing made everyone gasp. The silver Spyder slid sideways as the Celica pulled out of the turn and took off. Kagome's hand flew to her mouth as she watched the headlights of Hojo's car tip sideways and disappear over the side of the mountain. People gasped and screamed. Kagome ran to the Challenger and hopped in with Inuyasha quickly jumping in the seat beside her. She started up the car and with the sound of screaming tires, sped out of the parking lot and down the windy road.

She took it as easy as possible while rushing as fast as she could down the road. Inuyasha remained silent in terror as he white-knuckled the arm rest while he heard his tires squeal around each turn. It seemed like it took them forever to wind through the hairpin turns to the last one where they had last seen Hojo.

As they rounded to that last hairpin turn, they saw black tire marks that slid into the torn dirt that led through the wooden guard rail and over the side of the mountain. Kagome came to a screeching halt on the shoulder and turned off the car and leaped out screaming Hojo's name.

She reached the rail before Inuyasha could leap out of the car. She looked over the side of the cliff and realized it was a large drop to the canyon blow where dust and dirt billowed upwards with a faint light glowing from within the cloud.

"Hojo!" Inuyasha screamed down the canyon. Just then, other spectators started to show up and jumped out of their cars and joined Inuyasha and Kagome, hopelessly on the edge of the cliff. People screamed Hojo's name while girls cried hysterically. The whole scene was chaotic. There was no way of reaching his wreckage down below.

There was a terror that spread through the pit of the crowd's stomach as the reality of the situation sunk in. There was a very real possibility that Hojo laid dead at the bottom of that canyon in his car.

"I'm calling emergency services! Every one else get out of here. It won't be easy to explain what a bunch of people are doing here with a bunch of high end cars. There's nothing you can do for him anyway!" The race starter had announced.

"Kagome, you should go too. I'm sorry, but you know the reality of this." The man said solemnly.

Kagome gulped hard and cried a bit at the hopelessness she felt. This wasn't shaping up to be a good first date with Inuyasha. She turned to look at her date who returned her gaze with a look of concern on his own features. "Kagome, do you want me to drive?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah, why don't you." Kagome choked out.

They got in the car and Inuyasha drove carefully down the mountain with a sobbing Kagome in his passenger seat. He sat in silence as he listened to the woman next to him cry. He hated the sound of her heart wrenching sobs.

As they drove through Tokyo, Kagome reached forward and flipped on the radio. It was already blasting announcements of the fatal crash on the mountain. They said that rescue helicopters had pulled out the wreckage of a silver coupe from the canyon base. They reported that the driver was dead on arrival and that the name of the young man wouldn't be released until his family had been notified.

So their worst fear came true. Hojo was dead on impact and somehow Kagome felt partially responsible for not insisting that Hojo not race such an experienced run. He just looked so confident and cocky, she never thought he could actually die. Kagome covered her face and sobbed even harder as Inuyasha drover her back to the shop.

When they got to the shop, Inuyasha had asked if Kagome wanted to drive her the rest of the way home but Kagome insisted on walking home and collecting her thoughts.

She bid Inuyasha farewell and apologized for the night going so sour. She took a piece of paper and a pen out of her purse and jotted down her number and handed it to Inuyasha. "Maybe we could try again?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow. Tomorrow's Friday after all. Perfect date night." He offered.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry, but in order to get off at four-thirty today, I promised to pick up extra hours tomorrow night. Saturday works, if you're free."

"Saturday it is then. I'll call you around two, that sound good?" Inuyasha asked.

"That would be perfect. I'll talk to you Saturday then. And again, I'm sorry this had to be the ending of what was shaping up to be such a nice date." Kagome said sadly.

"It's not your fault in the least, Kagome. That boy knew what he was chancing. I'm just sorry he died and I'm sorry you lost someone close to you." Inuyasha said with a weak smile.

Kagome waved him off and watched as he drove away. She walked to the back of the shop and started unchaining her scooter.

"You know it can be dangerous being all alone, looking so beautiful in the dark like this" a deep and smooth voice came from behind Kagome making her jump out of her skin.

"Naraku! You surprised me, I didn't know you'd be here. What are you doing here?" Kagome asked as she turned to face her boss.

The tall male figure moved swiftly out of the shadows to stand in front of Kagome. He had long black hair that when not working, he let hang around his shoulders. But while at work or at home with his wife and family, his hair was always neatly tied back into a business man's ponytail. He wore a dark purple suit with a black shirt and no tie.

"I had some good news for you. I found some parts for the jewel. I thought you'd be happy to hear. You look so sad Kagome, does it have anything to do with that boy that dropped you off?" The tall, dark haired man asked as he closed the space between himself and his employee, inspecting her troubled features.

"No, someone died tonight on Canyon Run. Someone close to me." She said, trying not to cry. "So you say you picked up parts for the Daytona? What'd you get?" She inquired, trying to change the subject. She knew Naraku wasn't in the least interested in the young man who's life was stolen in the canyon.

"I found an entire brake ensemble with new lines, master cylinder and sensor. I also picked up a new power steering after market pump for her too. What do you think?" He asked, his voice deepening as he stroked her hair.

"Well that was very generous of you, Naraku. How much do I owe you?" Kagome asked, dreading the answer.

"You can just 'show' me how grateful you are rather than pay me. Speaking of which, Kohaku's bills from last month came in, I thought you should take a look." Naraku said with venom dripping from his words. He took the folded papers from within his inner coat pocket and handed them to Kagome.

Kagome looked them over and paled at the numbers. She didn't know how she was going to pay this off. She looked at him and saw how he was looking at her.

"I think I know how you like being repaid the best. My apartment will seem awfully empty and lonely after the night I've had. I don't suppose you wouldn't mind keeping me company?" Kagome asked, fake seduction laced her sad voice.

Naraku didn't catch the forced feelings, nor did he care. He slipped the wedding ring from his left ring finger and stuck it in the inner pocket of his coat and followed Kagome, expectantly to the apartment he so generously let her live in.

Kagome's night was filled with more sorrow and pain as she gave into the one man who controlled not only her life but the lives of the people who were closest to her.

End of Chappy.

(A/N: Sorry this chapter ended on such a dark note. I didn't want to get to graphic at the end, figured I'd leave it up to the readers' imagination. Well, I'm done here. Let me know what you think, thanks!)


	4. Chapter 4

-1**Chapter 4: **Breaking it down

The morning after Hojo's tragic death seemed unreal. Kagome woke up and vaguely recalled what had happened the night before. She was stiff from her night with Naraku. He had some aggressions about his home life that Kagome let him unleash on her. She figured she was in so much pain she might as well take on another's pain too. But she did all this not only for herself, but Sango's little brother, Kohaku.

Kagome sighed as she sat up, wishing it was all a bad dream. It started out as a dream but ended in nightmare after nightmare. But when she thought back on the first part of her date with Inuyasha, she smiled at his kindness. She could tell that he probably had hot headed tendencies, but figured she'll wait and see how much he opened up to her over time.

It was eight o' clock and Kagome was dressed for work. She sighed, not wanting to go work on cars today. She was feeling a little bitter towards her original passion. After all, it was a car that had taken the life of one of her oldest friends last night. If only that tire hadn't blown….Kagome shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images from last night's tragedy.

There was a faint knock at the door and Miroku's soft voice sounded from behind the wooden barrier. "Kagome? You in there? Hey, Sango heard from Inuyasha today what happened. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, let me unlock the door." Kagome walked over the the door and unlocked it. She opened it up and motioned for Miroku to go ahead and come in. "Yeah, it sucked. He blew a tire around a corner and just lost traction. Went right over. I don't think he even had time to realize what happened before he hit the bottom of the canyon." Kagome said as she gathered some things for work.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry. Well, now it's a good thing that Naraku wasn't informed about you going out to have fun. He probably would have made it worse." Miroku noted.

"Yeah, he did." Kagome sighed sadly as she recalled the things she had done last night.

"Really? How'd he know?" Miroku cringed at Kagome's expression. He didn't see her like this often.

"He was waiting for me to tell me he got parts for the Daytona and to wave Kohaku's medical bills in my face. He saw Inuyasha drop me off and seemed almost pleased that I was unable to fully enjoy my date with him. It was like he enjoyed the fact that I had just watched a friend plummet to his death over the side of a mountain." Kagome sadly stated.

"Kags, I'm sorry" Miroku laid a hand on his friend's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Kagome gasped and cringed away from his touch. "Kagome? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it's just Naraku got rough on me last night. I think he took pleasure in causing me physical pain to accompany my emotional pain." Kagome was embarrassed at admitting to her friend what their boss had done to her. "Look Miroku, it's only until Kohaku get's all the medical attention he needs, then you guys can be free from all of this. I'm doing this for all of us. After Kohaku's healed and we've got enough money saved, we're out of here. I will be free of here, on way or another." Kagome stated firmly.

"Don't talk like that, Kag. We will be free, but we've got to find another way to help pay Kohaku's expenses so he can recover and we can get out from under Naraku. I pray to Buddha that he gives us the strength to carry on and move forward to the day we can free ourselves from this place." Miroku said.

"I don't know Miroku, I just don't know. What if we never get away? I worry sometimes, you know?" Kagome asked.

"I understand what you're saying. I have to wonder though, do you think Inuyasha may be the answer you're looking for to get you out of this place? He seems like he's doing well for himself and he's taken a real shining to you. I'd kinda like to get to know him. It's been a while since I've seen a person put that twinkle in your eyes. He must have some redeeming qualities." Miroku commented, his words filled with kindness.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy. Kind of cocky and pretty sure of himself, but beyond his hard exterior he's got a nice soft interior. Reminds me of the Daytona in some ways." The woman compared.

"And how is Inuyasha like the Daytona?" Miroku inquired. He just couldn't get how Kagome could compare her date to a car.

"He's good looking, one in a million, hard to obtain, rough around the edges and needs a little TLC." Kagome replied.

"I see." Miroku gave Kagome a sideways glance and smiled a bit. "Well, we should be off to work. We've got to get these cars in and out so we can pound through the installations on the Skyline." Miroku stated, pushing Kagome towards the door.

When they got into the shop, they saw that Naraku was there and already ordering parts for the Skyline that would be delivered later that day. He saw Miroku and Kagome come in and clock in. He smiled one of his dangerous smiles and waved at the two.

"Kagome, how was your night?" He asked in his fake cheery tone.

"Busy and tiring." Kagome looked at him though glazed, tired eyes.

"What do you have scheduled for today?" Naraku asked.

"Not much. We have a coupe lube oil changes, but other than that I have to replace an alternator in a '77 Pontiac Bonneville. But that's it." Miroku answered.

"Well if that's all, I've got plenty of help for today. Kagome, would you like to take the rest of the day off and come back later this evening to work on the Skyline?" Naraku asked.

"But I need the hours. There's so much I owe you." Kagome stated.

"Don't worry, you've made it up to me enough to get a day off in your time of need." Naraku said evenly.

"I guess, if it's ok with Miroku." Kagome said as she looked questionably at Miroku.

"I'm perfectly fine with that." Miroku stated.

"Well, I have some new tea that I've imported from India. It's suppose to take stress away and help your mind relax. Here, take some home and drink it down." Naraku said with unusual kindness. He hand her an envelope with the tea bags in them.

"Try to rest, Kagome. I'll see you later, ok?" Miroku said in a quiet voice. He walked Kagome to the door of the shop that was designated 'employees only'.

"Yeah, I think that wouldn't be a bad idea. I think I'm still in shock over yesterday. I just need a little time to myself to grasp the reality of it all, ya know?" Kagome looked at Miroku with a hurt that shone in her eyes. Miroku's heart sank at how much Kagome was hurting. She was loosing her self-respect with every time she let Naraku take advantage of her and watching the death of a good friend was never an easy event for Kagome. Seemed like with the years she spent around Naraku, she lost more people who were close to her. People who she grew up with in school and considered family. Her Grandfather, mother and little brother were all she had left for the longest time.

After Kagome left college to work for Naraku at his shop, Kagome's Grandfather passed in a crash while on a bus going into town. The bus he was on had been t-boned by semi who's brakes went out. Loosing her grandfather meant loosing the only father figure Kagome had in her life and it broke her. She grew up over night. Her mother went into debt after the death of her father and Kagome worked twice as hard after that to help her mother keep the old house and pay the bills. It was because of Kagome's help that Sota, Kagome's little brother, was able to stay in college.

But things didn't get real bad until Kohaku got in his accident. Sango had lost her father the year earlier and that's when Kohaku joined the crew with Kagome, Sango and Miroku at Naraku's shop. Kohaku had a way with cars, especially the tuners. But when he learned to drive them, did his real potential show through. Naraku hired him on as a driver in the underground races and for almost a year, Naraku made good money. But after Kohaku's accident, the bills piled up for Sango and Miroku and if it weren't for Kagome's help, Kohaku wouldn't have probably had a chance to pull through and might have died by now.

Miroku sighed sadly as he reflected on the girl's past. He hugged her and even kept his perverted hand to himself. He had better taste than that. "Just try and take it easy, ok?"

"I will, maybe I'll go hang out with Sango at the bar for a bit today." Kagome said as she broke from Miroku's arms. "Thanks for being there for me." Kagome smiled and turned to head back to her apartment.

She got home and realized she was out of energy. She flopped down on her couch with a loud sigh. She figured that maybe she should call Sango and see if it was ok to hang out at the bar with her for a while, she didn't really feel like being alone right now.

She flipped open her cell phone and called Sango. "Kagome?" Sango answered her cell.

"Hey Sango, Naraku's given me the day off. Mind if I come hang out with you for a while?" Kagome asked.

"No, not at all. It's slow right now and I could use the company." Sango replied happily.

So it was final. Kagome had someone to spend her day with. Besides she still felt like gossiping about her date with Inuyasha.

o

"So he picked you up in a pink convertible with black leather that matched the dress I got you?" Sango regarded her friend. "That must have been hot."

"Yeah, he was so sweet. He even let me drive, said that the car and I looked good together. It was so much fun." Kagome explained.

"So do you think you'll be seeing him again?"

"Well, he's going to call me tomorrow. We're going to try another date that will hopefully end better than last night." Kagome said dryly.

"I'm sorry to hear about Hojo. I know you and him were still close even after the break up. Are you going to the funera?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, I got a call from his mom before I left to come over here. It was pretty sad, you should have heard her. They're holing the funeral this Sunday. I guess since all of his family lives in and around Tokyo, it was easy to set up the funeral this fast. I know they have a family shrine where the funeral will be held there." Kagome explained. "Sango, would you go with me? It's been a while since I've been to a funeral, and it'd be nice to have the support."

"Sure, I don't work Sundays." Sango smiled. "So Inuyasha was the one who got a hold of me this morning. He called just as I got into work and told me about what happened last night about the accident, but he didn't really talk about the date. You must have made an impression because it sounds like he's sweet on you." Sango smiled.

"Yeah, he was acting like a gentlemen, but gave Hojo a bit of an attitude. It was kinda cute." Kagome laughed a little.

"Yeah? So he's the jealous type?" Sango asked.

"I'm thinking so. Poor guy just didn't know how to consol me on the way home. Not that I think there was much he could do anyway if he tried. But it was a good thing that he dropped me off and didn't try to stay because Naraku was waiting for me when I got back." Kagome sighed hard. "He got Kohaku's bills from last month."

"Oh, Kagome I'm sorry. I'm taking it your night didn't get any better?" Sango asked sadly.

"No, it didn't." Kagome said in a dark voice as she ran a hand through her hair.

"But now you have a boy to spend a little energy on. Maybe he'll be just what you need to get out of here." Sango suggested.

"Yeah, Miroku kind of said the same thing. He thinks Inuyasha might do me some good. Seems you and Miroku have the same taste in men when it comes to approving them for me." Kagome laughed.

Sango laughed as well. "Well, it's true. We want to see you with a good guy who's not going to break your heart."

"You can't protect me from the world, Sango. I love you to death, but you're going to have to let me make my own mistakes." Kagome said seriously.

"Yeah, and I do let you make your own mistakes, but if I can protect you along the way from getting hurt unnecessarily, I will." Sango replied. "So what are you doing later today?"

"I'll be back at the shop working on the Skyline. It's coming in today and needs some tuning for some drag races. Naraku found a few events in a couple of weeks and wants the Skyline in top shape." Kagome smiled. She knew that Sango always had a love for that 2002 Nissan Skyline.

"I'll have to come by the shop and check you out." Sango smiled warmly at her friend. She knew Kagome liked to have Sango around the shop, it always reminded them all of the 'good old days'.

"Ok, well I'll be there at four-thirty or so." Kagome said.

"I'll have Miroku bring me by. Oh before I forget, could you give me a ride in on Monday? Miroku's going to pick up some extra morning hours." Sango asked.

"Yeah, that woudn't be a problem." Kagome said. "I'm going to go home and take a nice long hot bath. Just distress by myself for a while. It was a help coming and talking to you, Sango. Thanks a lot." Kagome said as she drank down her coffee. She put her mug down and put down some money to pay for her coffee and donuts and walked away.

Back at home, Kagome noticed she had left her cell at home and it blinked brightly, letting her know she missed some calls. She flipped it open and started looking through the missed calls. She recognized one of the numbers and realized it was belonging to Inuyasha. She hadn't programmed it in yet feeling that it was too soon to put this strange guy in her cell. Well, she figured it wouldn't hurt now, so she quickly saved the number to his name. Two of the calls were from Miroku and one was Sango. All of the missed calls left messages, so Kagome accessed her voicemail.

The first was from Inuyasha and he said "Kagome, this is Inuyasha. I was just calling to see how you were doing. I'm tied up at my office right now and stole a moment to check in on you. Well, just know I'm thinking about you, call me back. Bye"

Kagome smiled at the concern in Inuyasha's voice. 'Worrier' she thought as she moved to the next message.

"Hey Kagome, it's Miroku. I take it I got you sleeping, so call me when you wake up."

'Next' Kagome thought as she moved to the next message.

"Kagome, I stopped by to check in on you. I banged on the door and you didn't answer. I'm still outside your door and I heard your phone ring when I called. Call me. Did something happen, are you still in there. I'm walking around to the back of……oh, your car's gone. Ok, I'm calling Sango." Miroku sounded like he was worried at first and then the sheepish tone told Kagome he just made an ass of himself and she giggled.

"Kagome, Miroku called me. I told him you never made it out…." Kagome gulped and paled. 'Oh god, Miroku must have driven off Tokyo bay looking for me' "I'm kidding, he didn't think it was funny either. You know how he worries. Any way, he went back to work feeling silly and will be waiting for you to return. I'll see you later tonight." Sango laughed and hung up.

Kagome shook her head and decided to take her bath and then call Inuyasha back. She relaxed into the tub of hot, cleansing water. It steamed up around her shoulders and she put a wet washcloth over her forehead. She let the physical pain wash away as the emotional pain itched at the back of her head. She kept having flash backs of watching Hojo's silver Spyder sliding over the side of the cliff. Every time the images came back to her, she saw it more and more graphic. At one of her flash backs she was even standing helplessly by the cliff as she watched the car fall. She imagined Hojo reaching up to her for help as she watched knowing there was nothing she could do for him.

At the thought of Hojo's mother and how distraught she had to be, Kagome started crying. She had known Hojo and his family since she was in junior high and she always loved Hojo's mother. She ran a store down town that specialized in herbal vitamins and physical health care needs. Hojo loved working his mother's store on weekends. This would be the first weekend Hojo wasn't going to be there and the thought of it broke Kagome's heart.

Kagome pulled the washcloth down over her eyes and cried into the darkness of the damp fabric. Her heart twisted in the knowledge she would never see Hojo again, but wasn't ready to really except it. It was too soon and it was all still such a shock to her. Her brain just wasn't willing to let her except Hojo's death. Every time she tried imagining him lying dead in the car or on a coroner's table she could only see the cocky young man sitting behind the wheel of a hot ride and leaning out the window flashing her one of his brilliant smiles. The way he smiled at her the last night and assured that he was going to drive safe. He stood there, so confident in himself and in his driving. He was a great drifter and really knew how to handle a car, but he had never tried to apply his talent on a Canyon Run. Had his tire not have blown, would all of this ever happened? Kagome swallowed hard, if only she could have talked him out of it, or better yet, if she could have inspected his car ahead of time and maybe would have found the defect in the wall of his tire.

Kagome sighed in misery. It was easy to look back and say 'what if' but the fact was it would change nothing. Kagome let the sorrow run it's course as she had herself a much needed cry. She let the misery of Hojo's death mix with the misery of her situation. The fact that she felt constantly imprisoned and alone made the situation all that much worse.

By the time Kagome was done crying and was feeling better, her bath water was quickly cooling down, so she decided to drain the tub and get out. She dried herself off and dressed. She walked around her apartment while drying her hair. She saw her phone sitting on her kitchen table and smiled. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost three. She had some time yet, so she flipped open her phone and scrolled down until she found Inuyasha's name and clicked the 'call' button.

Inyasha didn't even give the phone a second chance to ring. The second he saw Kagome's name, he picked up and with a smooth tone gave her a "hello?" as if he didn't know it was her.

"Hi Inuyasha, this is Kagome." She said shyly.

"Hi Kagome. How are you feeling today?" He asked sweetly.

"I'm doing better now. So did you still want to see me tomorrow?" She asked.

He laughed slightly and responded "I'd like to see you now. After yesterday, you're all I could think of". He blushed.

"Well that's sweet of you to say." Kagome giggled, feeling a bit silly at how hard they were flirting with each other. She knew that this phase will pass and eventually they'll show their true colors to each other.

"Well, I've got work coming in so I'm going to have to let you go. If you need company or want to hang out, what ever, call me, k?" Inuyasha asked.

"Sure, I'll talk to you later Inuyasha." Kagome said softly as she hung up the phone. She sighed loudly. It was nice just making a new friend. Someone who wasn't in as deep over their head as she was. It was obvious that Inuyasha didn't have a lot to worry about and so the little time she got to spend around him yesterday made her feel a little more relaxed too.

Inuyasha sighed as he put the phone down. He looked up from his desk at the man sitting across from him. There was a stack of papers that was put down in front of Inuyasha and glanced over them and then back at the man sitting across from him. "Well Hiten, it's nice to see you back here." Inuyasha reached in his pocket and took out a leather wallet and opened it up to reveal a badge and tossed it down on the desk in front of the man identified as Hiten.

Hiten had short, black hair and was short in stature. Inuyasha had problems with him and his brother before. They were in a violent gang and had been taken in for questioning as suspects to murder. Inushasha was positive Hiten had something to do with the deaths involved in the underground racing circuit. So far in the past year 42 people had died as a result and most of them were people who competed against a man known as Naraku.

It was lucky that he met Kagome who happened to work under one of the underworld lords, Naraku. He had god knows how many people working under him in the darker world of cars. There was a lot of money involved in what Naraku was doing. Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder if Kagome knew who exactly she worked for and he couldn't help but wonder how deep into his business was she.

"Well Inuyasha, looks like you're still chasing your tail." Hiten said with a smirk.

"You're going down for being an access to murder. You know something and now we finally have some dirt on you. So really, I don't care what you say, you're not going to help your case. By the way, how's that brother of yours? Oh yea, we got em' last week. Isn't the funeral Sunday? I bet your mama's looking forward to it and what is she going to think when she realizes her only surviving son isn't there for his only brother's funeral?" Inuyasha sneered, driving the knife deeper with his words.

Hiten snarled in anger and hatred. "My brother was murdered!" he ground out. Are you saying I had something to do with my brother's murder?" he asked angrily.

"No, you had something to do with Kikyo's murder. I just want to find out who's behind your brother's." Inuyasha growled angrily back.

"I've been told that Naraku has his greedy fingers deeper in the race circuit. He's been broadening his horizons, if you catch my drift." Hiten looked at Inuyasha with intense, knowing eyes.

"Grand theft auto. Murder is the best way to rid yourself of competitors and it's cheaper than buying them out, huh?" Inuyasha asked flatly.

"Hey, you didn't hear it from me. But I gotta warn ya, keep away from Naraku's business. He controls everyone under him like puppets, so don't cross him." Hiten advised.

Inuyasha looked the young man over. His jaw was set as he started thinking about his new flame. This felt like Kikyo all over again. Inuyasha sighed, waved his hand at the door to signal the officer that he was done interrogating. The convict was taken away and Inuyasha was left to his thoughts.

'Kagome, you seem like too sweet a girl to be deeply involved in Naraku's world.' Inuyasha thought, concerned. Kagome was obviously trapped by the tyrant and it wasn't just her life on the line either. Inuyasha realized that there was a good chance that Kagome's life could be in jeopardy 24/7.

He knew then what it was he needed to do.

And that was to get Kagome and her friends out from under Naraku

End of Chappy

(A/N: I hope it's not moving too slow for you. Trust me, I'm building it up for a big climax. Let me know if you're liking it or not, I'd appreciate it.)


	5. Chapter 5

-1**Chapter 5**: Shattering through the dreams

Saturday had finally arrived and Kagome woke up early in a good mood. She had received a good night's sleep and she was able to work out a lot of frustrations on the Skyline last night. Ripping out the old suspension did her some good, although poor Miroku found himself ducking under flying car parts. Sango had even help Kagome install some of the new performance parts and they chatted most of the night about the good old days when they use to race for fun.

They reflected back on happier times with Kohaku and Hojo. Some of the cars they use to work on and the races they would drive in. They laughed about how it was harder for girls to be drivers now a days and just berated men in their inability to except being beaten by a girl.

They way they talked last night about the old days had Kagome reflecting on happier times, letting those memories feed her good mood. They even talked about Inuyasha and what kind of boyfriend he'd make if they could really get past that 'friend' stage they were currently in.

Kagome spent her morning humming to herself as she made herself breakfast and after cleaning up her kitchen, she set to straightening up her apartment. Kagome never let her apartment get too cluttered but she would often let it go for a week or two before she straightened up. Kagome was walking around with the distinct impression she had forgotten something. She scratched her head and knew that she was forgetting something, her day just felt out of place. That's when she heard the scratching at the front door. Kagome groaned with guilt as she realized her cat, Buyo, was outside and desperate to get in and get fed. Not that it would kill her to skip a few meals, but she recalled the last time she fed Buyo was the day she met Inuyasha. So two days ago.

Kagome opened the door and the cat flew through the door, but stopped a few feet within the apartment and looked angrily up at Kagome and let out a disapproving yowl. "Oh Buyo, I'm sorry. Come on, let's get you an extra big bowl of chow." Kagome opened the pantry and took out the dry food and scooped out two cups instead of the regular one cup of cat food into the purple bowl that brandished Buyo's name in pink on the side. "Here you go. I'm sorry girl." Kagome said apologetically.

It was about noon when Inuyasha finished filling last minute paper work and all he could think about was getting on the phone and asking Kagome out. Inuyasha smiled at how fate had some how brought him to her and the case of a life time. He was connected more ways than Kagome knew to Naraku. He was still trying to figure out how tangled a web this man had created. There was so much at stake and for Kagome's safety, he couldn't reveal to her or her friends that he was a cop. He was an investigator and sergeant, but to people like Naraku he was the same as the guy on the street behind a sheid. A cop, and to Naraku a cop was as disposable as they come, he had proved that in the past.

Inuyasha sighed, pushing the past out of his mind. He had more important issues on his plate. Like where to take Kagome next. It had been a while since he was in the 'dating' scene again and felt kind of stupid when he realized he forgot how to do it. He knew she liked to have fun, but this time he really wanted to take her some where that had legal fun and unfortunately that pretty much ruled out her kind of racing. He figured tonight he'd offer to take her out to a club and as part of gaining the approval of her friends, he decided he's invite Sango and her husband, Miroku along. It was obvious that Sango had a big influence on Kagome and Inuyasha knew he had to get close to her to get close to Kagome and hopefully Naraku.

Flipping his phone out and finding Kagome's number, Inuyasha dialed and cleared his voice. He felt all flushed asking her out again. Not only had it been years since he was on a real date, it had also been years since he last went on a repeat date. Inuyasha nervously chewed his lip as he heard the ringing tone from his phone.

Kagome smiled happily when she saw Inuyasha's name come up on her ringing phone and decided to wait a few rings so she made it look like she could have cared less that it was him calling. She picked up her phone after the fourth ring and greeted with a sweet "hello?".

"Kagome, it's nice to hear your voice again. Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to join me at the club tonight. I know of a nice one downtown." Inuyasha asked.

"I'd like that. What time would you like to pick me up?" Kagome asked.

"Well six would be great, I'll take you out to dinner. Hey, also if you want, see if you're friends want to come along too. My treat." Inuyasha offered.

"You really wouldn't mind me having Sango and Miroku along?" Kagome asked.

"Well I figured if I'm going to be hanging around you, they'll probably be in the picture too. I wanted to invite them along, so that we're on neutral ground and I can get to know you all better." Inuyasha said, knowing that he was too smooth.

"Yeah, sure! Six will be great and I'll definitely invite Sango and Miroku along. I'm sure they're going to want to come, so go ahead and expect them. I'll call you if they can't make it, ok?" Kagome asked excitedly.

Inuyasha smiled. "Yeah, that'll be great. See you at six then." And with that, Inuyasha hung up the phone and headed back to his condo to fix himself up.

Five rolled around and Miroku sat bored out of his mind on Kagome's couch while his wife and friend fussed over each other's appearances back in Kagome's room. He didn't know what all the fuss was, they were just going to dinner and a club. Why was it always a big production number to get ready to go to a sweaty overpopulated building with raging loud speakers, over priced drinks and hormone driven kids that would hit on anything with a pulse.

"Are you guys done yet? It's after five-thirty! Inuyasha will be here soon and I'm bored." Miroku whined from his spot on the couch.

"Fine! We've been done for some time, just been having girly talk. But if you're going to whine like a baby, we'll come out" Sango called from Kagome's room.

Kagome emerged from the room wearing her favorite low riding, hip hugging black jean Capri style pants and a light pink tank top that formed nicely to her torso and showed off her mid section. Sango had pinned up some of Kagome's hair on either side of her head, but for the most part it hung down her back. Kagome looked stunning, like she was ready for a night on the town.

Sango was just as beautiful. She wore her favorite black jeans with her favorite black boots. She had a dark blue top on that hung loosely off her neck. Her hair was combed back into a neat ponytail with flower clips on either side of the ponytail keeping loose strands of hair in line.

"You ladies are a vision of lovely. I'm almost thinking that I should leave Inuyasha behind so I can have two pieces of arm candy instead of sharing you with another, Kagome." Miroku said sweetly as he looked Kagome up and down. Kagome blushed under Miroku's gaze and looked to her friend for back up.

"Miroku, you just get that dirty thought out of your head. You're such a perv at times." Sango scolded. She wasn't too serious, she knew Miroku was trying to get Kagome to smile and it seemed to work.

Kagome looked at the time and saw that six o' clock was nearing and started feeing nervous. She knew she had nothing to be nervous about, but she still wondered if Sango and Miroku would like Inuyasha after hanging with him for a while. She was sure Sango already liked the guy, but she did worry a bit about Miroku. She saw qualities in Inuyasha that would clash with Miroku.

But Kagome wasn't able to really contemplate the matter because she heard Inuyasha driving up the drive way. She grabbed up her purse and did some last minute panicking about her hair. "How's my hair look? Should I brush it?" She suddenly asked.

Sango elbowed her gently and laughed. "You're hair's fine. Let's just go and have a good time. You even remember what one of those were?" Sango teased.

"We'll see who needs the reminding." Kagome laughed back.

Inuyasha didn't even get the chance to put his infamous 70 super bird in park before he saw the door open to Kagome's apartment and Sango pushing Kagome out the door with a slightly amused Miroku following them. Inuyasha got out of his car and flipped the seat forward and moved to the passenger side to do the same. He greeted Kagome with a smile and almost laughed at how nervous Kagome looked, but she returned his smile. Sango immediately climbed into the back and slid over to sit behind Inuyasha. 'Well, there was no need to flip my seat forward then' Inuyasha thought as he painfully watched Sango slide across the black leather back seat. Miroku got in next to Sango and Inuyasha flipped the seat back and held the door open for Kagome.

"You look lovely once again, Kagome." He commented sweetly.

"Thank you." Kagome replied and found her self looking him up and down. His hair was tied back with his long silver bangs brushed to either side of his face. He wore a loose red button up shirt with short sleeves and black slacks with black leather shoes. "You look quite hansom yourself." And with that, Kagome climbed into the passenger seat and Inuyasha closed the door firmly behind her.

"He looks hot, Kagome." Sango whispered as she leaned over toward Kagome.

"Shhhh, I can see that. Don't embarrass me you two!" Kagome warned in hushed tones.

Inuyasha carefully put his seat back, warning Sango to watch her feet and after he slid in he quickly inspected the other occupants of the vehicle. "So you guys ready for a good time? Where do you want to eat?" He asked.

"We never did get our Mc. Donalds the other night." Kagome giggled.

"Yeah, and it's not often we get that stuff." Sango chimed in.

"Well, it's not 'classy' but I'm not going to complain. You have got to be the first girls I know who won't jump at a fancy restaurant when being paid for. Ha, no offense of course." Inuyasha laughed.

"So what you're saying is that you're cheap?" Sango asked in amused accusation.

"Not in the least. I'm just saying that it's refreshing to see some real ladies not taking advantage of someone's generosity." Inuyasha smoothly replied. Even Sango had to admit that he was pretty smooth.

Inuyasha drove to the Mc Donnalds down town and treated the group to meals and ice cream. They sat in the restaurant to eat their food while Miroku and Sango told stories of what they were like back in college, how Sango had known Kagome her whole life. There were several occasions where Sango had made Kagome blush especially when she told Inuyasha about when Kagome and Kohaku were little, they vowed to never let the other one date because they swore dating was 'gross' after they walked in on Sango and Miroku kissing.

"Well guys, it's almost eight. Ready to head over to the club?" Inuyasha asked as he piled all the trash onto the tray.

"Sure, let's go." Kagome said and got up. She held her tray in her hand, but when Inuyasha stood, he quickly snatched her tray away and before she could protest dumped the contents in the trash and placed both trays on the trash can. "Well thank you. I'm sure you saved me a lot of trouble." Kagome teased.

Inuyasha looked at her oddly, but smiled. She was a real fire cracker. Inuyasha felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Miroku smiling broadly at him. "Don't worry, she get's like this when she feels her independence has been threatened in any way." Inuyasha chuckled a bit.

The club Inuyasha was talking about was down the street a ways. It was a pretty classy place, Kagome could see that people were dressed pretty decent as they stood in line for access. Kagome looked around the exterior with awe. She hadn't been to a club since she first turned twenty one, but this place was nicer than any one she had been to before. It was called The Pink Cadillac and it was elegantly written in pink florescent tubing. The windows where tinted, but from what Kagome could tell was the place was really bouncing. She could feel the vibration of the music against the walls and under her feet as they neared the door.

Once they got up to the door, they were asked for their id's. Sango and Kagome smiled kindly at the bouncers that checked their licenses. The bouncers smiled at the girls and then looked their dates over with obvious jealousy. Inuyasha just gave the bouncer checking Kagome out a rough look. He didn't like it when people looked at him like that. He had been told a few times to go find himself a nice American girl and keep his filthy hands off the 'superior' Japanese women. He figured that's what this man was thinking.

Inside the sounds of loudly played music and already drunk patrons washed over the group. Kagome saw people dancing and on the far end of the hall was a separate bar with pool tables. Kagome loved dancing, but she loved pool just as much. More than that, she loved beating boys at pool. Her and Sango made a pretty mean team.

"Inuyasha, can we go to the pool tables?" Kagome asked loudly, trying to be heard over the music.

"That's sounds like a great idea! Miroku, you've got to play. You and Inuyasha against Kagome and myself." Sango agreed.

"Sounds like fun. What do you say, Miroku? Should we show the ladies what it means to mess with the 'men'?" Inuyasha asked mockingly.

"Yeah, ok. If you don't mind eating your words, Inuyasha." Miroku said. "The girls always win."

"Oh, Miroku. I don't know what you're talking about." Sango said seductively as she and Kagome led the boys to the bar.

Sango and Kagome picked out a table and when to get their pool sticks. Inuyasha handed Miroku a couple of ones and told him to get quarters while he ran off to the bar. Inuyasha returned with a waitress and asked the group if they wanted drinks.

"I'll have a long island." Kagome said.

"I love my apple-tini's" Sango squealed as she racked the balls.

"Scotch, on the rocks." Miroku ordered.

"Let me get a rum and coke." Inuyasha finished. The waitress smiled and ran off to have the bartender fill the orders.

"Inuyasha, you sure you want to drink?" Kagome asked, concerned.

"Yeah, if I get drunk I'll just get us a cab and come get my car tomorrow. The owner here knows me and will make sure my car is taken care of. It won't be the first time I've had to leave my car here over night." Inuyasha laughed.

A few drinks and a few rounds of humiliating pool later, Inuyasha threw his hands up. "I'm done. I've had enough to drink that I've got a buzz going on and I'm done loosing to you girls." Inuyasha said with a laugh.

"I told you that you'd be eating your words, man." Miroku stated.

"Hey Miroku, I want to dance!" Sango announced. She grabbed Miroku by the arm and took him over to the dance floor.

Kagome watched her friends with amusement while Inuyasha paid the tab. He came back and handed Kagome an ice water. "Here, I don't want you getting dehydrated." Inuyasha said as he sipped on his own cup of ice water. Kagome smiled and took the offering. She realized she had a good buzz going herself as she drank the refreshing liquid. "Looks like they're having fun." Inuyasha commented as he pointed at Sango and Miroku who were dancing together.

"Yeah, we use to do this all the time when we were a little younger. Before we had to really grow up. It's nice to see them have some real fun together. This was nice, thank you." Kagome said.

"Not a problem. Honestly it's been a while since I've done this myself." Inuyasha said as he watched Kagome. Just then the current upbeat song had died out and the intro to a slower song started up. Inuyasha smiled and took this as his cue to ask "Kagome, would you like to dance?".

"I'd love to." Kagome said and smiled when Inuyasha held his elbow out to her. She took the offering and looped her arm through his offered elbow. He took her to the dance floor where they danced. Kagome smiled warmly as they moved in time together with the music. "You're a wonderful dancer, Inuyasha." She commented.

"As are you. I'll admit, I'm having a lot of fun." Inuyasha replied warmly.

Kagome spotted Sango and Miroku dancing together and they were watching her with smiles on their faces. Sango gave Kagome a big thumbs up which made Kagome blush and as a reaction, hid her blushing face in Inuyasha's chest. But when the smell of his cologne hit her senses, something about the smell made her relax. She closed her eyes and just leaned her head against his shoulder and let the sound of the music take her. She danced with Inuyasha, lost in her own world. A world without pain or death and better yet, a world without Naraku.

When the song had ended, Kagome sighed sadly. She leaned back and smiled up at Inuyasha as he grinned down at her. "Thank you for the dance." He said softly.

"No, thank you." Kagome said, her voice low and soft. "If it's ok with you, I need to get myself a drink." Kagome asked.

"Sure, get what ever you want." Inuyasha said as he handed her a twenty. "If you want something alcoholic, go for it."

"You're not trying to get me drunk, now are you?" Kagome asked.

"Not at all. Just letting you know, I don't mind." Inuyasha smiled a deviate smile.

"I bet you don't." Kagome laughed and went back over to the bar and sat down on a stool.

Inuyasha turned and saw Sango coming right at him. She stopped a few feet away and laughed. "I think you two look so cute dancing together. Makes me wish I had a camera." Sango laughed again and dragged Inuyasha over to where Miroku was standing near the D.J.

"Inuyasha! I have got to thank you again for taking us here. Kagome looks like she's having fun and we're having a blast." Miroku said loudly. Miroku then leaned over and whispered in Inuyasha's ear, "and the eye candy is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth for at least a year!".

"Wow, Kagome was right. You are a perv." Inuyasha bluntly stated.

Kagome sat at the bar and watched her friends interact with Inuyasha. She was happy to see them getting along so well and when the music picked up again, Sango had dragged Inuyasha off to dance with her and Miroku. She laughed at how much fun they were having, just like back in college.

"What can I get you miss?" Asked the bartender.

"Oh, just a fuzzy navel." Kagome replied.

"Let me get her tab." Said a young man who was sitting a few stools away from Kagome. He wore a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. His black hair was short and spiked. Kagome thought to herself that this kid looked like a thug wannabe.

"Thanks, but I can get it." Kagome said with a quick smile that said 'I don't need your help'.

"Oh but I insist." He continued. "It's not every day that a beauty such as yourself graces me often" He shifted down to the stool that was right next to Kagome.

"Well thank you for the compliment." Kagome replied, leaning back in disgust at the heavy smell of liquor wafting from the young man's breath.

"I'll tell you how you can thank me. Let me buy your drink." He said as he leaned in. He placed a hand on Kagome's knee and slid it up her thigh making her gasp in shock and anger.

"Excuse me?" She cried as she leaned back. "No, get your hand off me." She smacked his hand off her and he grinned at this.

"Feisty, aren't you?" He snarled as he leaned in again and with one hand grabbed her thigh and the other went around her waist and pulled her to him.

"I said 'no'!" She yelled again.

"Hmmm, don't know the meaning of the word." The young man drunkenly said against her neck as she desperately tried to push him away It seemed that the more she resisted, the more he persisted.

"Get off NOW!" She screamed into his ear and pushed harder.

It was then she saw the boy violently yanked away. Inuyasha had dragged the boy right over from behind and the stool fell loudly as the boy rolled backwards onto his butt. Inuyasha placed himself in front of Kagome and glared dangerously at the young man before him. "When a lady says 'no' she means it!" He yelled angrily at the kid.

The boy looked up at Inuyasha with a look of distaste. He quickly stood up and squared off with Inuyasha. "Are you with this trash? Gee, I thought a classy girl like you could do better than an American." He spat venomously as he stared at Inuyasha.

"Don't you touch her again. I'm warning you." Inuyasha said in a low and dangerous tone.

"What ever." The kid shoved his chest into Inuyasha then turned like Inuyasha wasn't worth his time. The second Inuyasha let his guard down, the kid turned and jumped on Inuyasha's back and started punching him wildly.

In one swift movement, Inuyasha had the kid by the back of the neck and had flipped him over and caught him with one of his arms behind his back and was pinned in a chicken wing. He pulled on the kid's wrist and he cried out in pain. "If I ever see you touching Kagome or another woman with unwanted advances like that again, I will rip your arms from your shoulders, now is that clear?" Inuyasha growled into the kid's ears.

"Yeah, ok!" He cried out painfully.

"Now I believe you have something to say to the young lady." Inuyasha turned him to face Kagome and kicked him in the back of the knees, forcing him to fall on them as Inuyasha still had his arm behind him.

"I'm sorry." He said through the pain.

"I didn't hear you! That's not how a real man apologizes. Now say it like you mean it." Inuyasha growled out louder.

"I'm sorry for forcing myself on you! Please, forgive me!" He cried in pain.

"Ok, you're forgiven. Inuyasha, let him up." Kagome pleaded. Inuyasha let the kid go who fell to the floor in pain. Kagome stared unbelieving at Inuyasha. It wasn't that he was acting possessive, although he kinda was, it was the ferocity he had just displayed. She saw how quickly he could become violent, but she also saw the amount of aggravation it took to take him that far and for that, Kagome was thankful.

The group stayed there for another hour and a half. They danced and laughed the whole night. At times they would sit and Sango would bring up past events from when they were younger and went clubbing back then.

It turned out to be a good night after all. After all the worrying that Kagome did about her friends getting along with Inuyasha was for nothing. They seemed to really hit it off with him. Kagome found herself admitting that she was having fun with a guy. She always had fun when she was out with Sango or hanging with the crews on the race track, but it wasn't 'this' kind of fun.

Just as things were winding down and the group were considering leaving, a young man came running over to Inuyasha and whispered in his ear something that made Kagome bristle with anger. He looked at the man with angered eyes and yelled "WELL? Who's stopping this?" and he got up and booked it out the door.

Kagome, Sango and Miroku followed Inuyasha outside where they saw a man wrestling with the bouncers by Inuyasha's car. What was odd was this man was a bit taller than Inuyasha, but had the same silvery-blonde hair color. He was dressed in a blue outfit, kind of like surgeon scrubs, and wore white sneakers. He seemed pretty strong, he was holding his own pretty well against three big guys. But he stopped fighting them when Inuyasha's voice snapped over the sound of the scuffle.

"That's enough! Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha looked angrily at the man who stood only a mere foot from his car.

"Little brother, it's been a while." The man, Sesshomaru, said with a cocky grin.

'So that's Inuyasha's brother! But what is he doing here?' Kagome's mind pondered. Then she remember something Inuyasha said about the super bird. He had said at one point that his brother had always been trying to get it away from him, that the two matching cars where all his father left behind for the boys.

"You haven't shown her. You drive her hard and you barely keep her clean. I can get this beauty on the show circuit with my car and imagine how much money they'd make. I don't see why you won't let me take her off your hands." Sesshomaru scoffed. He folded his arms and glanced back at the gleaming '70 super bird, studying his reflection in the metallic paint.

"It's none of your business what I do with MY car that our father gave ME. I want to drive it and not show it. The saddest thing in the world is a car that never sees the road." Inuyasha said firmly. He crossed his arms, mimicking his brother's posture.

They stood there and faced each other. They regarded each other with distained looks, each one harvesting their own hatred for the other and it rolled off them in waves. Kagome couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to make them hate each other so much.

Sesshomaru turned on one heal and faced away from Inuyasha. He scoffed over his shoulder and said coldly, "you're not even worth my time, Inuyasha. My hands are worth more than screwing up your face. But we'll see who get's the car in the end. It was father's dying wish to see these cars showing together." Sesshomaru then walked away. As he walked past Kagome, he stopped and looked at her carefully. "Pity. You're such a pretty young thing too." Sesshomaru left without another word leaving Kagome slightly confused.

"What did he mean by that?" Kagome wondered out loud.

She shrugged it off and watched Inuyasha unlock the car. Her friends climbed in back and Kagome sat down in the passenger seat. The first stretch of the trip back to Kagome's was silent, all the occupants were deep in thought due to the night's events.

"So that was your brother? He seemed…pleasant." Kagome said aloud, breaking the silence.

"Keh, he's always a jerk. He hated the fact that after his mother died, his dad was stationed out here for a time with the military. He was uprooted from his home in America and brought out here. This is where he met my mom. My mother said that he loved the culture and school system out here so much he wanted Sesshomaru to be raised out here as well. He blamed me as well. I don't remember much about when my dad built the cars, he died when I was really little. But Sesshomaru was already eighteen when our father passed and after the reading of the will, my car was put into storage and kept there until my eighteen birthday." Inuyasha sighed as he turned the last corner and found himself parked in front of Kagome's apartment.

They all got out of the car, Sango and Miroku going inside. Both claiming to have to use the bathroom because they weren't given a chance to use it before they left the bar.

Inuyasha stood with Kagome next to his car and watched the two friends enter Kagome's home and close the door behind them. "Kagome, I really had fun tonight. I hope nothing that happened put you off." Inuyasha said hopefully.

"No, not at all. I had a lot of fun too. Kind of helped me forget that I have to face the real world tomorrow. Thank you for taking us out and showing us a good time. And thanks for getting that creep off me, although you might have gotten a little too violent on him I think that he's learned a lesson he'll never forget." Kagome giggled.

"I sure hope so." Inuyasha growled slightly. His eyes then softened when he reflected on what Kagome had just said about 'facing the real world'. "So Hojo's funeral is tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It will be early, so I've got to get to bed. Call me some time this week?" She looked up at him with promising eyes.

"It would be my pleasure. Huh, it just so happens I have a funeral to go to as well. Some one's brother died and I thought I would pay my respects to his dear mother." Inuyasha sighed. He wasn't going to tell Kagome who he really was, just incase that would put her in danger or him in danger.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's sad, to see a parent burry a child." Kagome commented. "But enough of that, I should be going in. Thank you for the dinner and thank you for the dance." Kagome turned to walk away after giving Inuyasha a hug when he hand caught her by her upper arm and turned her back towards him. She was caught off guard when she found herself within inches of his face. He smiled deeply at her. She blushed in reaction to their sudden closeness. He then kissed her on the forehead and pulled away. She looked at him rather confused as to why he didn't go for her lips.

"You're sweet, Kagome. I can't wait until I can take you out again." Inuyasha got in his car and watched as she walked to her home and entered. When the door was locked behind her, he drove away.

"You seem to have so much fun with him, but you seem so guarded you know." Miroku commented after Kagome closed the door behind herself.

"I know, I just don't know if I can trust him with my heart yet. He seems like such a sweet guy, I'm just not ready to really make a big step in my life. I still have so much on my plate with Naraku that I don't think it's fair to get Inuyasha involved in all of this." Kagome said sadly.

"Well, right now I think it's a good idea we get some sleep. Kagome and I need to get up early for Hojo's funeral tomorrow and Kagome's going to need her rest." Sango said softly. She had already grabbed some blankets that Kagome kept for when they stayed and folded out the old hide-a-bed couch.

"Thank you Sango. I'll program my alarm clock tonight and wake you in the morning. Goodnight guys." With that, Kagome retired to her bed. She couldn't help but wonder what the morning would bring. She was depressed and guilt ridden at the thought of the upcoming funeral of a close friend who's life was tragically taken.

She fell asleep with more images of the tragic accident and all the 'what if's'. But that night in her dreams she talked Hojo out of the race and that he was alive now to smile that cocky grin of his and to laugh and joke with them. Kagome only had her perfect world in her dreams and that's where she either found her escape or where she found herself more imprisoned than she already was.

It was in those dreams where Kagome knew Inuyasha would save her from Naraku and take her away from all the pain and suffering of her world. But sadly, when she woke she would have to come to terms that they were only dreams and her real nightmare awaited her after she woke.

End of Chappy

(A/N: Well, I posted this mainly for Sacredarrow22. I was going to finish it and then post it tomorrow so I can read it in the live view and correct any mistakes, but it was your review that made me want to finish this chapter and get it out. I promise I'll read it and fix any mistakes tomorrow, so please be patient with any mistakes you found. Let me know what the rest of you think of my fic. I see that it's getting a lot of hits, but that doesn't reflect on if you like the story or not. Any way, I'm still working on it and I'll start the new chapter tomorrow. See ya'all later!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:** Long good-bye's

Kagome leaned miserably against the side of the car, looking out the window. She was so distraught that she had asked Sango to drive her Honda home. All she could think about was how traumatizing it was to see Hojo's mother in such a state. She spent most of her time sitting by the urn that held the remains of what was once her son. His father was in no better shape. He grayed over night and seemed to have aged twenty years, the expression he wore was so grim that Kagome had etched it in her mind. It was like watching them burry a piece of themselves with their son. There were quite a few people at the funeral service, Kagome was surprised that she hadn't recognized most of them. But that's what happens when you start to lose touch with people, they move on and make new friends.

Kagome sighed again and started shedding new tears at the memories of that morning. The nice things that were said about Hojo kept ringing in her head. Kagome looked over at Sango who wasn't as distraught as Kagome, but looked like she was constantly going to cry and a few times she did. When you go to one funeral, it starts bringing up memories of funerals you've been to in the past and this brought Kagome back a few years. She started thinking about when her grandfather died and both the funerals she attended for Sango's parents. Tears fell even harder at the old memories.

"Kagome, it was a lovely service." Sango said with a lump in her throat.

Kagome sighed heavily and regained composure. "Yeah, I think he would have liked it. I sure do pray for his parents, though. Looks like they're taking it pretty hard. Can't say I blame them. Don't know what I'd do if I were in their shoes" Kagome sadly commented.

"You'd survive. That's all you can do. Have to live on and keep the memories of your loved ones going, otherwise you give up on living and I know that I wouldn't want anyone to stop living because I've died. I think it would dishonor my memory, ya know?" Sango asked.

Kagome just looked at Sango through pained eyes, but she digested her words hard. Sango would know, she had lost both her parents and practically her kid brother. If it weren't for Kagome and Miroku, Sango wouldn't have anybody should Kohaku perish. "You're right. I know there's a time to grieve, but life does have to go on. But it doesn't make it any easier."

"I know. It never gets easy and if it does, well then you've got a problem. It's just natural to grieve the loss of a loved one, it sinks in hard when you realize you'll never see them on this earth again." Sango sighed. Kagome had to wonder if she was thinking about her parents at that moment. "Any way, Kagome, you want to go do something tonight? Get away for a while and have some more fun." Sango suggested brightly.

"Hmm, I don't know. What would we do?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know, but maybe you could give Inuyasha a call and we'll make it another group date. After all, that was fun last night." Sango smiled gently.

"Yeah, I'll think about it. But it does sound like a good idea. I'll let you know when we get back." Kagome said softly.

Sango smiled warmly at Kagome through the cloud of sadness that still hung in the air between the two friends. Kagome smiled back, but still couldn't keep herself from thinking back to Hojo's funeral and how difficult it was to say that final 'good-bye'. Kagome knew it'd take some time to get use to, but she'd eventually be able to look back on the happier times without the painful knot in her throat and stomach.

Kagome found herself wondering what Inuyasha was up to. He had mentioned that he had a funeral to attend, although he didn't seem as effected by the death. She wondered if he was experiencing such sadness and sighed at the thought that he might be alone without a friend like Sango. Kagome sure did thank her lucky stars for such a good friend for so many years.

And Inuyasha had found himself in a depressing sight that morning. He hated going to funerals for kids that found themselves on the wrong side of the law and officer's gun. He stood quietly in the back as he kept an eye on Hiten who was sitting with his mother. Her cry was heart wrenching as she sobbed over the loss of her youngest boy. Hiten sat next to her, quietly praying for his brother's soul to forgive him for not protecting him the way a good brother should.

When the funeral was over, Inuyasha nodded to Hiten to come with him. He was only out of jail for the funeral and had promised to behave or his mother would lose her second son that day. Inuyasha had a couple of squad cars standing by just incase something went wrong, but it seemed that Hiten would behave. Inuyasha had kept a close eye on Hiten and watched curiously as Hiten took something from his dad and put it in his pocket. He couldn't tell how big it was, but he was ready just incase it caused trouble. His father kissed him on the forehead as his mother cried against the man's chest and they both watched as Hiten straightened up and walked stiffly to Inuyasha.

"Hiten. You can't take anything with you, what ever you were given you need to take it out of your pocket now." Inuyasha warned in an evenly tone.

Hiten acted like he didn't even hear Inuyasha. He walked right towards him and then past him through the shrine's gates, towards the parking lot.

"Hiten! Stop and put your hands on you head!" Inuyasha raised his voice and growled a second warning.

Hiten only looked sadly back at Inuyasha and gave him a sad smile. He reached into his pocket and to Inuyasha's horror, pulled out a pistol. "As long as I can take one of you out, my death will be worth it" he said as he aimed the gun right at Inuyasha.

"Hiten! Put the gun DOWN!" An elderly man's voice wrung out behind the young man.

Hiten only turned to the old man to find a shorter man pointing a gun right at his head. Hiten smiled and turned the gun from Inuyasha on this newcomer. "You seem closer to retirement, can't having you use my mom and dad's tax paying money on a pig like you" he said in a dead, evenly tone as he started to squeeze the trigger.

Just before the old man could react, a large bang sounded out. He thought for sure he had just been shot and cringed at the sound. But when he didn't feel a searing pain and when he realized he wasn't dead, he opened his eyes to the scene before him.

His eyes worked before his ears did, he saw the young convict crumpled to the ground with a large pool of blood flowing freely on the ground beneath him. He looked up at Inuyasha who held his head low and his eyes were covered by his bangs, but what the old cop did see was in Inuysha's hand was a smoking gun. When he realized what had happened, the sounds of people screaming and crying started filling his ears. He saw Hiten's mother hysterical as his father was nowhere to be seen. The patrons of the funeral were all ducking behind objects or running away in fear, a couple of them stood around in shock at what had just happened right in front of their eyes.

Inuyasha looked up at the old man with anger shining in his eyes. He didn't say a word as he flipped out his cell phone and started to angrily punch the keys and brought the phone up to his ear. "This is Inuyasha, I'm going to need back up here…Yes, the funeral….I'm at the shrine, I have one dead and an accomplice on the run… Hiten pulled a gun on me and then Myoga, so I had no choice but to take him out. I witnessed his father hand him the object and now he's nowhere to be seen…Yes, his mother is still here…Ok, I'll bring her in." Inuyasha turned to the woman, pity and sorrow in his eyes. He approached the sobbing woman and said softly, "ma'am, you'll need to be coming with me. You're not in trouble, but I think it'd be best if you came with me".

"Both my boys are dead. And my husband might as well be too. He won't be taken alive and so they leave me with nothing. Why couldn't you stop him? Why'd you have to kill my boys?" The mother cried out at Inuyasha. Inuyasha saw that she was broken; angry; depressed and hysterical and in this state she was unafraid. She reached out with her right hand and slapped Inuyasha, hard.

"Ma'am! You cannot strike an officer! Put your hands behind your back." Myoga said harshly.

"No. She's been through enough. She didn't leave a scratch, so no harm done." Inuyasha said, stopping Myoga as he took out his handcuffs.

"Very well then." Myoga let the woman go and Inuyasha led her to Myoga's squad car.

"Hey chief, could you bring her in? I'm going to need to stay and make sure the scene stays untouched until the coroner get's here to take the body and the detectives come to take evidence from the scene." Inuyasha sighed heavily. He wasn't planning on killing a kid that day and it weighed heavily on his soul.

"Sure. And after this is dealt with, why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off? You can do your paperwork tomorrow." Myoga suggested kindly.

"Will do old man. Thanks." Inuyasha said.

It was about one when Kagome and Sango got back to Kagome's apartment. They got inside and crashed for a bit on Kagome's couch. Sango called Miroku, who was sitting with Kohaku that day, and told him they were back and were going to stay and unwind for a bit. Miroku of course didn't have a problem with that and gave the girls his blessing, saying that Kohaku was due back at the hospital later that day for another week of physical therapy.

The two girls watched TV for about an hour when Sango piped up. "So, are you up to going out this evening?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it and I think it'd be a good idea. You know Inuyasha went to a funeral himself today? I guess it's just a bad week, huh?" Kagome commented.

Just then a news flash came on describing the events that had happened at a funeral for a convicted gang member that day. "The brother who shall remained unidentified, pulled a gun on a couple of police officer's following his brother's funeral. After being warned to drop his weapon, he threatened the two police officers and they had no choice but to shoot him on site. He was pronounced dead on arrival." They watched as the reporters interviewed a few of the witness' and family in disgust as they bashed the police for killing a kid.

"That's terrible. I think those cops had every right to defend themselves. Some of the people in this world." Sango huffed. "If my dad were still alive, you bet he would have done the same thing."

"Yeah, I hear you. I feel bad for the cop who had to shoot him. I could never imagine pulling a gun on a kid, even if he was threatening my life. But when threatening others, I don't know, I guess I might have done the same thing." Kagome commented sadly.

Kagome couldn't help but think of Sango's father. He was such a kind man and a wonderful father. He was on the police force. He had days where she was over at Sango's and her father would walk in and announce how badly he needed a hug from his family and when he said that he included Kagome too. She thought about those days he'd come home from work in that state and wondered if he was forced to take the life of another or if he had watched an innocent kid die as she was aware happened often in his life. But no matter what happened at work, he was able to leave it at the door when he came home to his family and especially after Sango and Kohaku's mother died. Sango and Kohaku are the people they are today because of what a loving man they had for a father. He really knew how to keep that family together through one tragedy after another.

But these happy memories were brought to a devastating end. Kagome remembered sitting in Sango's one level townhouse as they looked through catalogs for something nice to get Sango's father for Father's Day seeing how it was coming up in a week. Ever since Kagome's father died, Sango's father just naturally stepped in and took Kagome in as his own. Kagome's mother was always grateful that Kagome had such a good friend with a kind and loving father. So they had decided on a new toolbox to go with the new tools Sango's father had gotten to use on his new Nisan Skyline.

They had been chatting happily when Kagome was stopped by the look on Sango's face. She turned her gaze to follow Sango's and saw three police men standing in front of two squad cars. Something about how they stood there, rigid and uniformed and the look on their faces as they approached the apartment froze the very blood in Kagome's veins. Sango grabbed Kagome's arm and said silently as they rushed to the front door, "They're here about Dad, I know it…Kagome, three. Two and he's only been wounded, but three……..Oh dear god!" Sango cried out as she let go of Kagome's arm and ran at the three men. She begged them for him to be ok. She cried that there was no way her father could leave her, but they only looked at her with stony, sad faces.

"Sango, is there anyone we can call? I think it'd be best if you and your brother weren't alone until we have a full understanding of the incident." The chief, a short man who looked to be in his late forties, said.

Sango looked back at Kagome, desperation in her eyes. She had no immediate family she could call and Kagome knew it. Sango didn't even have to ask. "My mom! Call my mom and grandpa. She and Kohaku can stay with us, I know for a fact my mom won't mind." She offered.

"Oh, god does my brother know? Where is he?" Sango cried desperately.

"We'll be picking him up from school. We thought that'd be best if you were with." The other police officer said. Sango agreed and they all planned to meet Kagome's mother at Kohaku's school where they waited in deafening silence in the principal's office.

The death of Sango's father spread all over the news as the girls had previously learn that he was involved in a high speed chase after breaking up an illegal street racing gang and had been pit at high speeds by two tuners, causing him to go out of control along with one of the street racers and they both crashed. What wasn't divulged to the public was the fact that he had climbed out of his burning wreckage to save the kid in the other car. He had tried pulling the kid out who wasn't that badly injured, but his car was burning, when the kid reached over and shot him point-blank in the chest, killing him instantly.

The only comfort Sango had on that day was when she was told her father would 'look good enough' to have an open casket funeral. Kagome and Sango still couldn't understand how someone they had known in life could 'look good' in death. He just didn't look like himself. He had makeup and the smell that Sango had grown so accustom to associating to her father was gone and replaced with the present scent of death. His funeral was where Sango spent her last Father's Day physically with her dad. All because some kid didn't want to go to jail. Their lives were turned upside down because people couldn't except their punishment for breaking the law.

That's why Kagome and Sango were driven into doing what they did today. They were involved with one of the largest underground racing circuits. But the thing about it was even though teams could play dirty, they never put the public at risk and they never ran from the law, otherwise it only caused more problems with the police. But seeing how they did it out of public view and injuries low, the police made sure they knew which fish were worth frying. But Kagome couldn't help but get the feeling that Sango's father still wouldn't approve of what they had been doing since his death.

"So, Kagome, it's coming on two-thirty. Did you want to do something tonight?" Sango's voice broke into Kagome's reverie.

"That's right. We were thinking about getting him to go out with us tonight, huh?" Kagome reminded herself. Kagome grabbed her phone and scrolled down to Inuyasha's name and felt the butterflies in her stomach as she wondered if she would be disturbing him or annoying him in any way. She pushed her fear down and dialed.

Inuyasha had been laying on his for only a few moments after taking a nice long, hot shower. He looked over at the clock as it read 2:24pm and realized his shower wasn't as long as he'd like seeing how he had only gotten home about twenty minutes ago. "Keh, I should get off my ass and get a bigger water heater." He said as he stretched out after a long stressful day at wasn't suppose to be work in the first place. He growled to himself as he was reminded that he should have let that kid sit in jail while his mother shamefully buried his only brother. But he wanted to show the family respect and this was how they repaid him. Sometimes he wondered why he was a cop in the first place and this was one of those times he thought as he grumbled to himself in misery.

His cell started humming and singing to him and when he picked up his phone he saw Kagome's name and number and his expression soften. "Oh yeah. That's why." He said quietly as he picked up the phone, reminding himself that he took the oath to protect people like Kagome from scumbags like Naraku. "Well hey there Kagome" Inuyasha greeted as he answered the phone.

"Inuyasha, hi. I hope I'm not bugging you." Kagome said.

"Nah, not at all. If I don't want to be bothered, I just turn my phone off. You can call anytime, if it's not on, leave a message and I'll get it when I'm free. So you see, it's no bother at all. No matter the time of day, got it?" He reassured.

"Yup." Kagome said, not to sure what to take of the 'no matter the time of day' but took it as a compliment. "So hey, I know you told me you were going to a funeral today and seeing how Sango and I were at one, we were wondering if you want to wallow in our pool of misery too? I'm thinking we should all go drinking, what do you say?" Kagome asked a little perky.

"Sounds like a plan. But do we have a sober driver?" Inuyasha said as he mentally smacked himself for immediately sounding like a cop.

The request didn't go unnoticed either, but Kagome took it more of a fatherly statement seeing that's how Sango's father would react to the mention of a party. "Yeah, Miroku's going to drive us around. He'll be driving my Honda, it's nothing as fancy as what you've got, but we'll be picking you up. If that's ok with you." Kagome suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll give you directions and I'll be waiting for you guys out front What time?" He asked.

"We figure around six-thirty. We have to eat first, if you don't want to eat at the bar that is. It's got a bowling alley, do you like to bowl?" Kagome added.

"That sounds like a blast. Ha, I haven't been bowling since I was a teenager." Inuyasha mused. "Fantastic, so I'll be waiting for you at six-thirty."

Inuyasha gave her directions and even made her read what she had written back to him to make sure she didn't miss anything or mishear him. After hanging up with her, he went to spruce himself up. He pulled his hair back into a lose pony tale and put on a plane white shirt and blue jeans, figuring bowling was nothing to get fancy about.

When six-thirty came around, Inuyasha found that his new friends felt the same way about bowling when they came to pick him up. Although they looked nice, Kaogme in a nice fitting black shirt and blue jeans herself while Sango wore a blue tank top and black jeans, both girls had their ponytails worn high and neat. Miroku wasn't dressed much differently than Inuyasha. He had a black shirt on with a purple dragon and black jeans and a small, short ponytail.

They decided in rout that they were going to go ahead and eat there at the bowling alley because they were sure to have some kind of special. When they did get there, they sat down to a basket of fried chicken breasts with a tempura batter. With their dinner they had ordered mixed drink except for Inuyaha who only ordered his bourbon and whiskey drinks and Miroku who was only drinking soda. They didn't do much talking except for the news report they saw about the cop having to kill a kid at his brother's funeral and much to Inuyasha's relief they defended the side of the police who were only doing what they were trained for in their line of work.

But after a few drinks and a good meal, the group was ready to bowl. Inuyasha was surprised at how much he remembered about bowling and was even further blown away by how Kagome and Sango were. Even though they look like they were getting drunk after every fuzzy navel or sex on the beach, they were still beating the boys by a good frame.

They played for a couple of hours like that. They were enjoying the game and found that they had neighbors on either side of them who seemed to be having as much fun as they were. There was quite a bit of drinking going on that night. Music played loudly as the black lights illuminated the lanes and glowing designs of stars and planets giving the bowling alley a glowing mural of space. Quite a few times a few new popular songs would play as women sang loudly to the words. Kagome and Sango being no exception as they sat in their chars waiting for their turn. Inuyasha, who was feeling the effects of his own drinking, was enjoying himself just as much as his companions.

Inuyasha found himself being able to put aside the hardships of his day and enjoy his current state with good company. He thought lazily to himself that he would definitely not mind some more dates like this with such a beautiful woman like Kagome. He didn't know what it was about her that intrigued him and what it was that made her stand out, but he felt that the more hopeless of a situation she found herself in, the more she let it go and except it for what it was and made plans from there on how to make it seem just that much better. He admired her for that quality. Inuyasha knew it was a personality talent she and even Sango had to come by through such hardships and reoccurring tragedies.

He was learning what Sango's past was, knowing more about her past then they knew he was aware of. She talked some of it, only what she'd allow strangers to know but Inuyasha got her. He understood her situation fully as well as Miroku. Being her husband and all, he too had accumulated Kohaku's debt and worked double to try and pay it off as well.

Inuyasha only understood that Kagome had come to work under Naraku because of her loyalty to her best friends and her desperate financial situation trying to help take care of her mother's finances so her brother could continue college. From the way she talked about Naraku, Inuyasha could tell he excpected more out of her than just being his employee and cheap labor. It made Inuyasha's stomach turn when Kagome would mention the passes he would make at her, she waved it off as being accustomed to it because she was use to being a woman in a man's world. Inuyasha saw that as no reason to just brush off the aggressive advances she had described in a drunken rant. If only he knew how far Naraku HAD taken it in favor of Kagome's debt. Kagome at one point had mentioned that he was married and wondered what his wife would do if she knew that he was cheating on her, but Inuyasha was too drunk himself to pick up on the underlining message that pretty much confirmed Naraku's discretions against her.

It was almost ten-o'clock when the group decided to make it an early night seeing how they all had to get to work in the morning. Sango, Kagome and Inuyasha were drunk and worn out after god knew how many games of drunken bowling. They knew that they were done when Sango drunkenly threw her ball down the neighbor's lane causing a roar of laughter when it won that player a strike.

They all climbed into Kagome's Honda with Miroku, as promised, sober at the wheel. Sango sat up front as Inuyasa and Kagome sat in back. Inuyasha leaned back against the seat and looked out the window, reflecting on the date they had. Kagome was either being bold or too drunk to care, but leaned over and curled up on his chest and immediately passed out before Miroku could even get the car out of the drive way. Inuyasha smiled and remarked "looks like someone had too much fun".

Sango turned around and at the sight of her friend looking so peaceful in her sleep, smiled. "It's been a while since she's been able to just kick it back like this. Thank you Inuyasha for picking up the tab. I can't tell you how much that helps." Sango said sweetly.

"It's not a problem at all. I'm glad I could offer her some comfort, for what little it may help." Inuyasha yawned loudly as he watched the scenery fly by.

I sighed sadly when he saw his home come into view and realized he would have to say 'goodbye' for now. He stirred slightly trying not to wake Kagome, but the second he had removed her from where she had been sleeping comfortably, she woke. "Oh, I'm sorry to wake you. We're at my place and I didn't want to wake you." He said apologetically.

"It's ok. If it's not a problem, could I come in and use your bathroom?" She asked.

"Not a problem. You guys need a pit stop?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm fine and Sango's asleep, so you go ahead Kagome." Miroku said.

Inuyasha and Kagome stumbled slightly up the walkway to his house. It wasn't anything impressive, but Kagome couldn't help notice is was definitely bigger than her little one bedroom apartment of a house. He unlocked the door and went in first as he felt for a light switch, clicking it on when his fingers connected.

"Down the hall there, first door on the left." Inuyasha instructed as he kicked of his shoes.

Kagome rushed down the hall after bowing a quick 'thank you' to Inuyasha. She came back out walking a little less stiff, telling Inuyasha exactly how bad she really had to pee. "Quite a lovely home you have here, Inuyasha." She commented as she exited the hallway and walked up to the front door where Inuyasha still stood

"Thanks. My dad left it behind for me." Inuyasha stated. A sly smile then graced his features. "It's beauty only seems more enhanced with your presence." He said, obviously using some cheesy line he probably picked up from Miroku, but Kagome was going to fault him for trying.

"Why Inuyasha, you're making me blush." Kagome said teasingly as she closed the distance between her and Inuyasha. She found herself in an embrace as Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. She looked up at him, her features softened. "Thank you so much Inuyasha for showing us such a good time. I honestly think I couldn't have gotten through this day without you guys." Kagome said softly.

Inuyasha looked deep into her eyes and stared passed the depths of depression that pooled in her chocolately eyes. "No thanks required. Consider it my pleasure. You're such a wonderful woman and I only want to see you happy." He whispered, silk flowing through his voice. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips. She closed her eyes, letting herself go in the moment and kissed him back. Their kiss deepened a bit further and soften again as the pulled apart, seemingly for air.

"Inuyasha, I have to go. Thank you again." Kagome said softly.

"No, stay. Please?" Inuyasha asked. His eyes filled with hope begged Kagome to do as he requested.

She looked at him and smiled. With a sad sigh she said "I wish I could, but I just can't. My life isn't exactly my own…yet. But I just know things will get better." She said sweetly.

"Ok then. I understand. But I mean it, if you need me for anything don't hesitate to call." Inuyasha said.

"I will. Thank you again. I'll talk to you later." Kagome said as Inuyasha gave her one last kiss before she left his home and returned to the backseat of her car. He watched with heavy lidded eyes as the car drove off down the street and it was out of sight before Inuyasha sighed and closed the door behind him.

When Miroku dropped Kagome off at her home, he told her he'd be back with her car in the morning and as she had many times, agreed and watched them drive off towards their home. She turned and as she reached for the key to her apartment, she noticed a car sitting in the far end of her large, round dirt drive way and to her horror, she realized it was Naraku in his A6.

She decided to pretend she didn't see him as she approached her door and slid the key in, but to her disappointment she heard the sound of his car door opening and closing followed by footsteps across the gravel. She decided she would play that morning's events to her best advantage as she heard the man approach her from behind.

"Kagome, I was worried sick about you. I knew you were at that boy's funeral and then I heard on the news about that kid being killed at his brother's funeral and I couldn't help but wonder if that was the same one you were at." Naraku said as he stood behind Kagome as she unlocked her door and opened it. He had no problem at all following her in and closing the door behind himself without being asked.

"No, I'm fine now. I went drinking while bowling and Miroku was our sober cab. It was nice to get away for a while, but I'm afraid I'm going to pay for it in the morning. I'll make sure to have an extra big pot of coffee going in the morning." Kagome said as she checked her phone for messages seeing that she had left her phone at home and thought that maybe Naraku had called and seeing that he indeed had, turned back to look at the man currently standing in her living room.

"Well, you still have that tea I gave you?" He asked and when Kagome nodded he smiled and moved into the kitchen. "Then you go sit down and I'll make some for you." He suggested as he filled a cup with water and handed it to Kagome who gladly accepted and went to sit on her couch. "Looks like you really had fun tonight. You should have called me, I would have come along and have gotten you an escort service as well so you wouldn't be without your car." Naraku stated.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine. I really just want to get to bed after I have your tea." Kagome said, her voice tiring.

It was only a matter of minutes later, Naraku was putting a mug of tea in Kagome's hands. She drank it greedily as the warm liquid calmed her angry stomach. It was only a few moments later she started to notice a new state of inebriation start setting in. Her world was going fuzzy as she looked at her boss who sat in a chair across from her and watched her expectantly. "Naraku, I think…I'm going to be sick" She slurred out.

"It's only natural. The tea will do that to you. Don't fight it. You're going to feel fine in a bit, but you should get to bed." Naraku said as he got up and picked Kagome up from where she sat on her couch. She was more than drunk, she was starting to feel like she had been poisoned. She had a wave of fear hit her when she realized Naraku had her back to her bed and was laying his hands on her while she was helpless to even stop him. She forgot what was even going on as her mind slipped into a deep and dreemless sleep. Only the memories of the time she had with Inuyasha resting comfortably with her world darkened into nothingness.

She wanted to tell Naraku 'not tonight' or that she was too tired, anything that would keep him from wanting to fulfill lustful desires with her, but it seemed that he would get his way no matter what. Now that she found herself falling for Inuyasha, Kagome felt dirty at the thought of Naraku touching any part of her and before she passed out, she prayed that Inuyasha would find a way to save her from this nightmare.

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End of Chappy. (A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out there. Hope you guys like it. Again, sorry it took a bit, but I find it kinda hard to write sometimes. I really pour myself into my writings and in a way, it's kinda like undressing for a total stranger. So I'd like to know what you guys think so I'm not feeling so naked. Anyway, thanks to those who have commented. I really appreciate the feedback.)


	7. Chapter 7

-1**Chapter 7: **Sick day mystery.

The morning sun's lights seemed brighter than usual when Kagome woke. She groaned in pain at the unforgiving rays as they penetrated her pounding head. She tried to squeeze her eyes open, but found that the effort made her head hurt all the worse. She felt sick from the migraine as the sheer pain made her world seem to shift uneasily causing her already sensitive stomach to turn even harder. "Oh boy." Kagome groaned as she scurried to the bathroom by feeling around only in fear that opening her eyes would cause the bile to rise from her stomach before she could reach her toilet.

After she was done being sick, Kagome entered the living room and flopped miserably down on her couch. She looked up at the time and saw she had an hour to pull her act together before she had to leave for work. But as she laid back, she heard someone in her kitchen. Then the smell of freshly cooked food assaulted Kagome's nostrils which made her realize she was indeed hungry but also there was someone in her home.

She sat bolt upright and immediately regretted the sudden action. She sat still, letting the nausea settle back down and as she tried making sense of her surroundings, a cold bag of ice was placed against her forehead. She grasped it thankfully to her forehead and head as she laid back down and looked up at the man in her home, to sick to even care that it was indeed Naraku.

"You seemed so sick last night. I wound up sleeping on the couch incase you got sicker." He explained smoothly as he placed a plate of toast and bacon in front of her with a glass of orange juice on her coffee table.

Kagome licked her dry and sticky mouth and weakly said "thanks" and gingerly ate her food, ignoring the soreness of her throat and chest for the hunger that cried out for more attention than the pain. When she ate all she could, Naraku snatched up the plate and just placed it on the kitchen counter.

"I'm going to give you the day off. I want you to drink more tea around two this afternoon. I need you to get well. You're worthless if you're puking all over the customer's engine." Naraku stated dryly and he laid out more tea on Kagome's kitchen counter.

"Glad to see you're still all about the customer." Kagome said hoarsely, her throat on fire.

"Hmph. Nice to see that your sense of humor is still intact. Anyway, I'm going to have Miroku come by and sit with you this evening. I've got family business to attend to, otherwise I'd do it myself." Naraku commented as he slipped on his shoes at the front door, getting ready to leave.

"Yeah, I'm sure you would too." Kagome replied, too tired to try to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. She watched him leave and listened as she heard him close and lock the door. She was feeling sick and she tried to remember what she had done last night that would have made her feel this way. She had never had a hangover like this before and she didn't do THAT much drinking. She felt like she had ingested poison. Her muscles were cramped in her back and stomach and she felt all the energy drained as her mind was still foggy. She was a definite wreck. Unable to stand the feeling of her body so taxed, Kagome gave into the fogginess and fell into a deep and restless sleep.

She was woken up a few hours later by a familiar voice calling softly to her. She was so comfortable in her sleep and wasn't ready to give up her warm slumber. She mentally fought the voice as it threatened to drag her from her soft dark corner, but as the voice persisted, she gave up and broke through the surface of awareness.

"Kagome. There you are. I hate to wake you, but you should eat some lunch." Miroku said softly as he watched her miserably wake up.

Although Kagome was surprised to wake up feeling so much better. Her body still ached, but she didn't feel so drained or sick. The fuzziness that enveloped her mind and body was almost completely gone and she had more of an appetite. She looked up at Miroku with a little more sparkle in her eyes and a small smile on her face. "Hi Miroku".

"Hey you. I heard you got pretty sick last night. You didn't seem that bad off when we dropped you off last night, just a little tipsy. But how are you feeling now?" Miroku asked.

"Much better, actually. Thanks for coming by on your lunch break." Kagome said softly.

"Na, when Naraku told me you were ill, I stupidly called Sango and of course she demanded that I bring you lunch and see how you're doing." Miroku laughed and Kagome had joined in.

"I'm doing much better. Hey, I just remembered that tonight is the anniversary of when you and Sango met! Congratulations." Kagome said cheerfully. But her soaring heart plummeted when she saw the look of disappointment and sadness cross Miroku's face. "What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"Well, Naraku wants Sango and I close by incase you need help. We don't mind of course, but to have to stay at home all night seems a little excessive. I'm sure if we got to go to a nice dinner near by, you could call me on my cell while we're eating just as easily as if we were at home." He stated sadly.

"That is so unfair! I'm fine. I don't need anyone babysitting me." Kagome stated. She looked up at her friend with pained eyes. "I am so sorry, Miroku. I had no idea he was going to pull this."

"It's not your fault, Kagome. Don't think for a second we're mad at you. What's more important is that you get better now. Naraku said he left you some herbal tea that you should drink to help your stomach settle so you can eat." Miroku said as he started grabbing things in the kitchen. "Never mind, this must be it on the counter."

Kagome sat back and fumed. She hated the way Naraku used and manipulated people. She started thinking of ways she could get around this, be babysat and make sure her friends have a nice night out on the anniversary of one of their momentous occasions. She suddenly thought of something that might just insure that everyone was happy. "Miroku, what if I called Inuyasha and told him what was going on and see if he'll 'baby-sit' me. That way you and Sango can go out with a peace of mind that I'm being watched over." Kagome offered.

"I don't know Kagome. It's one thing spending time alone with him in public, but all alone inside your apartment may not be such a good idea. I mean, what if he's a murderer?" Miroku asked.

"Yes DAD. I forgot I can't take care of myself yet." Kagome laughed sarcastically at Miroku who blushed at her, realizing that he did sound a bit like an old man.

He placed her lunch on her lap and smiled. "Ok, if you think you can trust him, I don't mind. I'll swing by after work to check in on you and see what he says."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you in a few hours?" Kagome smile as she sipped on the horrible tasting tea Naraku left for her.

"Yup. I'll see you later, Kagome. Get better, alright?" Miroku said as he got on his shoes and left her apartment.

Kagome flipped open her phone and dialed Inuyasha's number. Surprisingly, it wrung instead of sending her right to voice mail. She figured it was a Monday afternoon and so he had to have been working. Maybe she caught him on break. She slightly held her breath, hoping he'd answer and not chew her out for catching him at a bad time, even though she knew that he probably wouldn't.

"Hello?" Came Inuyasha's voice.

"Hi Inuyasha. It's me, Kagome." Kagome said, her voice already weakening and tiring from Miroku's visit.

"Kagome? You sound different. Is something wrong? Are you in trouble?" Inuyasha asked, alarmed.

"No, I'm ok. I just caught a bug or something, but I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you, if you wouldn't mind that is." Kagome said unsurely.

"Yeah, anything. What is it, Kagome?" He replied.

"Well, because I'm pretty sick, Naraku doesn't want me left unattended, but the problem is Sango and Miroku have one of their anniversary nights tonight. It's the anniversary of the day they met and to them it's just as important as the day they married. Anyway, Naraku told Miroku that they had to stay in and wait by the phone incase I need help and I want them to go out to dinner, so I was wondering if you could…maybe?" Kagome's words started tripping over themselves as she tried asking for him to accompany her.

"I have no problem at all coming to sit with you for a while. I'm glad it's nothing serious. What say I rent a movie? Do you want me to pick up dinner? Maybe some soup?" Inuyasha asked.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. Yeah, some soup and a movie sounds great..

"Ok, then I'll come over as soon as I get off work and go home to shower and change. Ok?" Inuyasha asked.

"That's fine. I'll see you later then." Kagome said happily.

They hung up and Kagome yawned loudly. She drank down some more of her tea and just couldn't bring herself to finishing it. As it cooled, it seemed like the taste became more bitter. She was once again feeling tired, the food seemed to sit heavily on her stomach and making it turn in agonizing discomfort. Kagome hunkered down on the couch and fell back asleep.

It must have been late afternoon when Kagome woke again. The colors outside took on a purple shade as the sun made one last attempt to spread it's warmth over that part of the world before relinquishing to the night. The crickets and song birds sang the lament of the evening that Kagome had grown up with as a little girl and grown to love because those evenings were the one thing that remained truly constant throughout her life. She looked around her dimly lit apartment and saw Miroku in the kitchen with a whistling pot of water on the stove behind him.

"Miroku, what time is it?" She asked as she sat up slightly, realizing that she had another onset of the hangover feeling. Her head hurt, but thankfully the lighting was low and comfortable and she wasn't feeling as sick as she had when she woke that morning.

"It's time for me to get going for my hot date with Sango. You got a call from Inuyasha while I was here and took it for you. He told me that you had talked to him and he'd be more than happy to sit with you so Sango and I can have a nice night out together. Kagome, thank you." Miroku said happily. "Oh, I took the liberty of grabbing your blanket for you, incase you were wondering."

Kagome then realized that she was wrapped in the comfort of her favorite pink, down blanket. She smiled and snuggled into it some more and sighed happily. She loved nothing more than to cuddle with her blanket when she was sick. "Thank you Miroku." She called happily.

A soft knock came at the door a few moments later and Miroku went to answer it. Kagome didn't even need to turn around. She just smiled happily when she heard Inuyasha's timid and slightly worried voice ring out when Miroku opened the door for the man. "Is Kagome awake? How is she feeling?"

"Well, why don't you come in and ask her yourself?" Miroku exclaimed.

Inuyasha came in and rounded the corner to see Kagome snuggled under her pink, fluffy blanket. He smiled gently at her. "How are you feeling? Better than when I last talked to you, I hope." He said softly.

"Kinda. Just need to shake this." She smiled.

"Well, I hate to run, but it's not often Sango and I get a real night alone. I've saved for a month so I could take her somewhere nice. Thank you Inuyasha for helping. I'll see you guys later." Miroku explained and gave Kagome a kiss on the forehead as he bid them farewell.

"Oh, about that. Miroku, congrats man. Here, I picked this up for you on my way over." Inuyasha said as he fished in his pants pocket and pulled out what looked to be a credit card. "It's a prepaid gift certificate to any restaurant you want to take Sango out to. Don't worry about prices, you'll have enough left over to take her out for desert another night."

"Inuyasha, you didn't have to." Miroku said with surprise and gratefulness filling his voice.

"I know. I wanted to. I'm already feeling like I've known you guys for a long time. And it sounded so important to Kagome to see you guys happy and I just couldn't resist." Inuyasha laughed when he watched Kagome blush.

"Thanks again. Ok, I'll be calling later to check up on you two, so good." Miroku stated and took off, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Inuyasha asked timidly.

"Not at all." Kagome said with a smile.

Inuyasha pulled two paper bags out of his jacket. Kagome quickly found out that one of the bags contained a mug of home made soup and in the other bag was a movie he had picked up on his way over to her home.

He sat next to her on her couch and they started watching the movie he had brought. She ate the soup delicately as her stomach felt it might reject every bite. He watched her for moments at a time, in silence, wondering what could have made her so sick. Her skin seemed not only paler, but with a bit of a yellowish tone to it. He sighed as he watched her eat. When she was done, she put the thermos down on the ground and unconsciously found herself leaning against her male companion. But as soon as she leaned into him, she realized too late what she was doing and stiffened up at the boldness of her actions.

"Ha, it's ok if you want to lay down. I'm not about to be perverted with a sick woman. I promise." Inuyasha flashed Kagome one of his rare, genuine smiles and she smiled back and took the invitation.

She looked at the cup of tea Miroku had made for her before he left and swallowed hard at the memory of the metallic taste of the stuff. But she knew that Miroku would funnel the stuff down her throat if she didn't drink it, so she swallowed a good portion of it down.

"Gah, this stuff is terrible." Kagome said as she choked down the liquid.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's a medicinal tea. Helps release stress and boost your immune system. Everyone's insisting I drink the stuff, but I'm telling you I think it's the taste that's making me sicker." Kagome shuddered and made a disgusted face at the cup of tea.

"Well, if it helps you get better. Did you put honey in it?" Inuyasha asked.

"No. I don't have honey. Not exactly in my budget." Kagome laughed. She hated facing her financial situation, being that there was none.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Inuyasha's face flushed with guilt. He could tell he hit a bit of a sore spot.

"Eh, it's ok. I couldn't really complain. Things could be so much worse, you know?" Kagome put on one of her brave smiles for Inuyasha and to prove her point, she chugged down the last of her tea. "I could have to live on this stuff forever." She shuddered as the bitterness of the tea could be tasted even after it was swallowed. It hit her stomach like a ton of bricks and made her tummy groan in protest as it unwillingly excepted and started processing the stuff.

"That's a good girl." Inuyasha said almost mockingly.

Kagome's world was starting to feel fuzzy again and she felt the need to just lie down. She looked at Inuyasha who went back to watching TV and without a word, pushed his arm out of her way and laid down on his lap in absolute misery. She hated feeling this sick and she could have cared less who it was sitting on her couch, all she wanted to do was snuggle up and sleep until she felt better.

"Kagome, I'm sorry you're feeling so sick." Inuyasha said sadly and stroked her hair.

Kagome murmured and raised her hand to emphasize her gratitude and fell limply back on his knee. She tried to watch the movie, but her eyes kept slipping close and she knew she couldn't fight the sleepiness that was weighing heavily on her and clouding her mind. She sighed happily through her misery and slipped off to sleep in the comfort and safety of Inuyasha's lap.

Kagome dreamt lightly. It was nothing coherent, but she remembered sensations. Her insides felt like they were sizzling up and melting while inside her body she dreamt that cold fire flew through her veins, freezing at first touch but then melting away into a heated pool. She dreamt she heard the sounds of engines revving up as if they were at the starting line of a race. She started imagining her Daytona all spruced up and roaring all 450 horse power, drowning the sounds of a supercharged tuner car.

The next thing Kagome new was her dream was faded into a buzzing sound as the sound of people started reaching her through the fog clouding her mind. She slowly opened her eyes and at first was aware of her physical state. Her stomach was twisted in pain and every muscle was cramped and knotted. She then realized there was a foreign object pressed firmly to her face. A hand instinctively rose to grab the object that covering her mouth and was confused when she saw another man standing over her as she attempted to inspect what was attacking her face. He grabbed her hand and gently held it back. "She's come to." He said with alarm.

"Ma'am, you're in an ambulance. We're going to help you." Another voice said to Kagome's left. She glanced over and saw an older man, looking to be in his thirties, sitting next to her plugging new iv bags into the iv they stuck in her hand at some point in time.

"What happened?" Kagome said, then the sudden urge to be sick hit her in a crashing wave. The small spots of light that flashed across her and the jostling around by the ambulance made her want to be sick.

"We don't know. Your boyfriend called us and said that you were throwing up in your sleep. When we got to you, you were foaming at the mouth with a sudden high fever. We suspect you might have ingested some poison. Do you lay rat traps around your apartment?" The paramedic asked.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I would only use live traps if I had a rodent problem." Kagome said as another wave of nausea crashed into her. She groaned and just relaxed. She wanted to just go back to sleep. Her body felt like it had been through a meet grinder and then pounded back into place. After listening to the paramedics relay new information to what ever hospital they were taking her to, Kagome passed back out.

Inuyasha sat impatiently in the waiting room of the hospital's ER watching the clock as the seconds passed by like minutes. He shifted his weight in his chair and then went to picking up a lifestyle magazine and glanced at the contents. He looked back up at the clock and decided to watch the night time drama that was currently playing on the TV. A few minutes later Inuyasha saw Sango and Miroku come through the sliding glass doors at the front of the ER. They met eyes and immediately rushed to each other. Sango grabbed Inuyasha up in a worried hug and Inuyasha excepted it without any hesitation.

"Inuyasha, what happened?" Sango asked.

"I don't know. She fell asleep on the couch and next thing I knew, she looked like she was choking and was foaming a little from the mouth. The E.M.T couldn't be sure, but said it sounded like some poison, probably pest control, got into her food somehow. They doctors are taking care of her now, they'll let me know once they have answers."

The three friends sat in the waiting room together and talked about how Kagome could have gotten sick. They recalled the places they had been to eat and drink within the last fourty-eight hours and knew that if any of the places had made her sick, then they'd all probably be sick. It had to be something she ate or drank that they hadn't. They were stumped.

"Higurashi, Kagome." A doctor called out. When he saw the three of them stand, he motioned and said "follow me please".

They followed the doctor back to a single windowed room beyond the doors that led into the E.R and motioned for them to sit in the chairs that sat coldly in the back of the room. They sat together and watched the doctor intensely as he closed the door behind him and scanned over the clipboard in his hand leaving them in a moment of terrifying silence.

"Well, doctor? Is she alright?" Sango asked with concern unbridled in her voice an features.

"For now." The doctor sighed as he sat in a chair across from them. "She's pretty sick and her blood sample has some pretty high numbers. Everything points to possible poisoning. Can you guys think of anything she's eaten or drank that might be stored with pesticide or household cleaners?"

"No Doctor. She's pretty strict on where her food and cleaners are kept. And that's far from each other." Sango said.

"If I were to send poison control out to her residence, do you think one of you could meet them there and let them in?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah, I'll stay there. When do you think they'll be out there?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'll call them first thing in the morning and let you know from there." The doctor informed as he looked over his clipboard again.

"I can definitely take the day off work. That's not a problem. But, how's she doing?" Inuyasha inquired.

"Yeah, can we see her?" Sango asked.

"Well, I don't see why not. Just so you know, we did pump her stomach and she's got a few different iv's running to her. We have her on a detoxify drip along with some pain medications to help her through the effects of the poisoning along with regular fluids, so she's going to be either still sleeping or very weak. I'll show you where she is." The doctor got up as well did the friends.

They got to her room and the doctor showed them in. He drew the curtain and smiled kindly at the group. "I'll leave you guys alone."

"Thank you." Miroku said with a soft bow.

"No problem. You're welcome." The doctor said as he mimicked Miroku's bow and closed the door behind him.

Kagome was awake, barely, but she was still coherent. She smiled up at her friends and in a tired voice greeted them. "Hey guys. I guess I'm pretty sick after all."

Sango sat on the bed next to her and rubbed her arm. "Yeah. The doctor's going to send poison control over to your home to see if there was anything there that could have made you sick. So don't even worry about going home and getting sick again." She said softly.

"What about my cat? What if she get's into the same thing that made me sick?" Kagome asked, concerned about her only roommate.

"Well, if you'd like I've offered to stay at your home. I'll take care of your cat and make sure she's ok." Inuyasha offered.

"I'd like that. Thanks." Kagome smiled at her male companion who stood nervously by the window on the other side of her room.

"Kagome, don't you ever worry us like that again. I just about had a stroke when Inuyasha called and said you were on your way to the hospital." Miroku scolded lightly. "You know how we worry."

"I know. I'm sorry." She said, tiredness creeping up in her voice.

"It's ok. Just get better soon, all right?" Miroku offered.

"Of course I will." Kagome smiled, her eyes drooping.

"Looks like your pain medication is working. You need your sleep, we'll come see you tomorrow. Ok, Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Yeah…" Kagome let out a long yawn. "…that sounds fine. Thanks Inuyasha."

"Miroku, let's go. Inuyasha, we'll see you tomorrow?" Sango asked as she tugged her husband out of the room.

"Yeah, you bet. Thanks guys." Inuyasha said and waved them off. When he saw that they had left he turned back to Kagome who was looking up at him through glazed eyes. "Man you scared me. But I'm glad you're ok." Inuyasha leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks again." Kagome said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Yeah, it's not a problem. You get some sleep so you can feel better, ok? I'll come by tomorrow, I promise." Inuyasha tucked her in and turned out the light above her headboard. He smiled as he watched her fall peacefully asleep so he turned and left the room and returned to Kagome's home.

He laid on her couch with her blanket wrapped around his barely dressed body and thought about what could have possibly made her so sick. But as he tried wrapping his mind around the events of the last couple of days he found himself tiring. He decided it'd be best if he slept on it and approached the issue in the morning with a fresh point of view. He watched TV for a while and idly enjoyed the scent of Kagome that permeated the blanket. It smelled like her flowery shampoo and her and he found himself relishing the comfort it brought him, it reminded him of his earlier years when he was a kid and life was a little easier. He found himself missing his mom for the first time in years. He figured it had to have been at least eighteen years since she passed and had grown up so much and so fast that he found himself forgetting what it was like having her around and so found himself missing her less and less in such a short period of time.

He fell asleep in a peaceful bliss, but couldn't help wonder what the morning might bring. He was worried about what and if anything the tests would show tomorrow about what made Kagome so sick. He wondered if poison control would find anything in her home and on what. He left himself with the resolve that if Kagome had to replace anything in her home, he would gladly do it for her before she got out of the hospital. He didn't want her coming home and feeling displaced. So with that finalized in his mind, he let himself drift fully off into dreamland.

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End of Chappy: (a/n: I am soooo tired. We have a big move coming up soon and I'll try to keep up with the writing, but some chapters might be sporadic with some time between them. I'll try my hardest to not let this happen, but I can't promise that our move nor writer's block might interfere with the story.)


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